Patches and Stitches
by the64single
Summary: Jun, the unbreakable woman: Hisoka's longest project. Many years spent cultivating her and soon, she may be ripe enough to kill - the sex was just a bonus. Jun had always thought that killing Hisoka would be her greatest triumph, but with a past that has been patched and stitched with pieces of him, Jun wonders if she could really fight against him. HisokaxOC.
1. Chapter 1: No Pain, No Gain

"Uwah, that hurt, you know," Jun complained, rolling onto her back. Shifting her body weight onto her left arm, she tugged her right arm sharply and snapped the handcuffs binding her wrists. Sitting up, she used her right arm to pop her left shoulder back into its socket, before rolling her shoulders back to make sure her body was still intact. She puffed out her cheeks, patting her wrists gently. The skin had been rubbed off, so she picked pieces of tissue from her nightstand to wipe the blood.

"There's no lying to me," Hisoka told her. She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "Jun-chan, will you order room service, or shall I?" Hisoka asked, plucking his phone off the night stand, answering his own question. His back was facing Jun, and she could see his muscles flex under his enormous spider tattoo.

She pouted, furrowing her brows. "Just Jun is fine."

"What would you like to eat? Are you still fond of those fried potatoes?"

"You mean french fries?" Jun asked, raising an eyebrow as she plopped back into bed. She yawned and arched her back, stretching out. Hisoka turned for a moment, his golden eyes flicking over her bare chest, strands of red hair falling onto his face. She pulled up the blankets over her chest, pouting. "Uwah, _now_ you pay attention to me."

"I always give you attention, Jun-chan."

"Just Jun is fine," she repeated, but Hisoka had already turned around and was speaking to someone on the phone, ordering food. She rolled her eyes. Jun never did know when to take Hisoka seriously and had long since stopped trying to do so.

Jun swung her hair up into a bun, loose ebony hairs falling out as she stuck a hairpin in it. She rolled onto her chest, snatching her phone off the nightstand. She wondered if she'd missed anything important.

"Jun-chan," she nearly jumped as she felt Hisoka's breath on hot on her ear, his arm stretched out across her upper back and his hand flicked her phone from her fingers. "You know that scar of yours is my favorite and yet you willingly show it to me," he purred, his voice deep and smooth like velvet. His fingers traced the ropy skin on her back.

"You know I hate that tattoo and yet you still wear it. An eye for an eye," Jun countered, sticking her tongue out at him. She picked up her phone again. "Can I check my e-mail?"

"No," Hisoka said simply, and in one swift motion, flipped her onto her back, catching her phone as it flew in the air. He tossed it to the floor and it clattered away, Jun making a face.

"Ehhhhhh, I just bought that," she scolded. "Why even catch it if you're just going to throw it?" she asked, more to herself than to Hisoka. She tried getting up to grab her phone, but Hisoka caught her arms and pinned her back down, both hands above her head, and he licked the corner of his lips.

Jun did not bother struggling and felt the raw flesh on her wrists begin to bleed again, staining the white sheets. "I'm going to break your arms this time," Hisoka told her. He scanned the length of her arms and hardened his grip, more blood dripping onto the sheets and she heard a bone crack with a soft pop. "And wrists, too."

Jun sighed and then inhaled a deep breath. "You have to call Machi for me," she told him.

A small smile crept onto Hisoka's thin lips. "Of course."

* * *

Jun took a deep breath. Her hair pin had fallen out and had been lost somewhere under the bloodstained sheets. A thin layer of sweat covered her bare body, and Hisoka swung his legs over the side of the bed, his red hair completely undone now, contrasting sharply with his ivory skin.

He rolled his shoulders back and turned to face her for a moment. "That was fun, Jun-chan."

"Just Jun is fine," she bit off. Despite the blood painting the sheets red and her arms swollen, Jun simply laid there, frowning at the ceiling. Her body was slightly tense, but there was no sign of any shock, or pain splayed across her face as Hisoka watched a deep blue aura surround her for just a moment. Hisoka smiled, moving the hair from her face.

"I always enjoy watching your _nen_, Jun-chan."

Jun sighed, not going to bother reminding Hisoka about her name. He never listened anyway.

"Although I would advise against fighting me again," he added, wiping the blood from his lips. Although he had warned her about breaking her arms, he had been wrong to expect she would lie there and let it happen. But that was what he liked the most about her; she was unpredictable. However, even in being unpredictable, she was unpredictable. Hisoka did recall times where he had told her about breaking something or another, and she had indeed just taken it, and other times, like these, where she'd given him a fight.

She chopped her teeth together, biting the air. "Next time let me check my e-mail."

"I'm going to take a shower," he told her, standing up. Jun forced herself not to let her eyes drift away from his face. "Would you like to join me?"

"A little incapacitated right now," she said, nodding her head at her arms. "But maybe next time."

Hisoka chuckled. "Machi will be here soon."

"Uwahhhh, you're not going to just leave me like this, right?" Jun asked as Hisoka stood up.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, unfazed.

"I'm naked, and Machi is coming," Jun said, making a face at him. "At least pull the blankets up for me, please."

"You're so cute when you use the magic word, Jun-chan." Hisoka returned to the bed, pinching her chin and lifting her face up. "Has Machi seen the scar on your back?"

"What kind of question is that?" Jun asked through squeezed cheeks. Hisoka's expression didn't change. "I don't know. Have you ever broken my back?"

"I don't believe I have," Hisoka said, seeming to think for a moment. He smiled at her. "Yet."

"Well, please don't. I need that to, you know, _live_," she replied. "Blankets, please."

Hisoka sighed, dropping her face and patting her forehead. He reached down and plucked his black shirt off the ground. "Put this on," he said, tossing it onto her face.

"I can't move my arms," Jun mumbled from under the fabric, unable to move it away.

She felt the bed bounce as Hisoka got up again, his footsteps fading away. "Oh, and Jun-chan," he said, as Jun managed to bite a mouthful of his shirt to try, moving it away from her grey eyes. "If I find out Machi has seen your scar, I will be very unhappy."

"Okaaay," she mumbled as he disappeared into the bathroom. She moved her shoulders, trying to inch up the bed. The most she could do was drape Hisoka's shirt over her chest and lie there, unable to move her arms. She was thankful the blankets were at least around her waist.

It had been like this for years. Their relationship was a give and take. Whenever he was in the Heavens Arena, he came to see her, and then left after some time without as much of a phone call to say when he'd return. Jun wondered if she waited for him. She pushed the thought aside.

Sometimes, though, Jun wondered why Hisoka stayed around. She had been a floormaster for a while now. Was that it? Because she had a title that displayed her strength? She knew that he liked watching her fight, but even those who passed the 200th floor never chose to fight her. It was rare for her to receive a match in the first place. She never particularly enjoyed fighting anyway. It had become boring.

But for some reason, seeing Hisoka brought out a part of her that she thought she had forgotten: thrill. She never knew what he was thinking, never knew what he was going to do next, and that was what kept her in this twisted relationship. Or whatever it was called.

Jun heard a sharp rapping at the front door "It's open, I think," Jun called. She heard a series of footsteps, and her room door was shoved open by a woman with pink hair in a kimono. She rolled in a tray of food, frowning.

"Are these yours?" Machi asked, pulling in a tray with a bowl of ice cream and a plate of fries.

"Yup," Jun replied, having completely forgotten about the food Hisoka had ordered. It was probably cold by now, and she frowned. She'd really wanted those snacks.

Machi reached the bed and made a face at her bruised arms, blood stained sheets and naked body. "_Again_, Jun?"

Jun grinned. "Sorry."

Machi sighed as she pulled out a needle from her pocket. "Okay, sit up and turn around."

"You think you could do my left arm lying down so I can put on this shirt after?" Jun asked, and Machi raised an eyebrow. Jun grinned sheepishly. She wasn't quite sure how serious Hisoka was about the scar on her back, but decided to play it safe. "It's complicated, don't ask."

"Fine," Machi sighed, knowing that she did not want to ask, even a little bit. What Hisoka and Jun did behind closed doors was none of her business, but somehow, she was always dragged into it. "But it'll cost you an extra 10 million."

"Hisoka will pay," Jun assured her, and Machi seemed to take it, sitting on the edge of the bed. She lifted Jun's left arm carefully. It was swollen and bruised, but Jun didn't even seem to feel anything. Hisoka seemed to have gotten carried away again, but Jun never seemed annoyed in the least, and Machi never knew why Jun wasn't bothered. She'd sure be annoyed if a psychopath continuously broke bones in her body just to see if she'd scream. Machi knew Jun never did make a sound, so perhaps that was one of the reason why the two of them continued like they did.

"The bones are shattered," Machi said, threading her needle with a light blue _nen _thread. "I'll do my best to fix them all. You might need to up your own _nen_; it's going to hurt."

"Already amped up enough to knock out a herd of rhinos," Jun said with a grin. "I hate pain."

Machi didn't say anything as she wrapped a thread of mint green _nen _around Jun's arm. She left it there for a moment, placing her hands over Jun's swollen forearm. It took a total of ten seconds for her to fix the arm, re-piecing the bones underneath her skin.

"Oooh, so fast," Jun complimented, flexing her arm. She sat up and Machi turned as Jun pulled on Hisoka's shirt. "Alright! Ready for the right," she said, moving her right shoulder up a little. Machi switched sides of the bed, mending together Jun's right arm even faster than her left.

"You total is 60 million. Twenty-five each arm plus the extra ten for not listening to me."

"Uwah, where's my discount?" Jun complained jokingly, sticking out her tongue.

"That is the discount, dummie," Machi said, and Jun laughed.

"_Hai, hai_," Jun said, reaching over to snatch up a notepad from the nightstand. She scribbled the price as she plucked a cold French fry from the tray. She dipped it into the melted chocolate ice cream before sticking between her lips. "Do you want to stay? Hisoka's in the shower so he'll be out soon, probably. You can say hi, and he can just pay you in cash."

"I'd rather not," Machi said honestly. "Just transfer the money to my account."

"Sure," Jun said, plopping back down onto the bed as Machi turned to leave. "Thanks for coming again, Machi."

Machi paused, turning back to Jun. She could hear the shower still running, and crossed her arms, shaking her head. She didn't particularly feel like seeing Hisoka today, but Machi didn't have a problem with Jun. While Jun herself wasn't a spider, Machi couldn't help but take a slight liking to her. "You know, you wouldn't need me to come all the time if you just stopped doing," she trailed off, waving her hand arbitrarily, "whatever this is."

Jun laughed, swinging her hair up into a bun again, reaching over the side of the bed to pick up her phone. "I would, but it's too fun."

"Fun breaking bones and bleeding on expensive sheets. You're the ultimate masochist, Jun."

Jun puffed out her cheeks, furrowing her brows. "I'm not a masochist! It's just fun to see how long I can resist the bone breaking. Blood isn't that bad either, it's just pretty decoration! My _nen _makes the pain not painful, anyway."

Machi rolled her eyes. "Oh, alright, so you're just crazy then."

Jun laughed again, waving Machi off. "It's not crazy. He's just strange."

"So are you," she replied, sighing. "You're perfect for each other."

Jun shook her head, making a face. "It's nothing like that," she insisted.

"How long has this been going on, again?"

Jun paused, thinking, counting on her fingers. "Five years?" she answered, and Machi raised an eyebrow as though proving a point. Jun waved her hands. "Still, it's not like that. We only do this when he comes back to fight in the arena."

Machi shuddered, shaking her head. "You surely have a high tolerance for men, Jun. I can't imagine kissing that man, let alone sleeping with him. "

"Kiss?" Jun asked, looking up from her phone. "We don't do _that_."

Machi blinked a few times, not sure if she had heard right. "You've been sleeping with Hisoka for the better of five years, and you haven't kissed? Not even once?"

Jun shrugged. "I told you, we're not like that."

"What do you mean, 'not like that'?" she asked. "Isn't it pretty normal to kiss when you're _sleeping_ with someone?"

"Is it?" Jun asked, and Machi couldn't believe that she really sounded serious. Jun tapped her temple as though thinking. "I don't know. He never pushed it, I never asked. And I always thought that sort of thing was for when you like someone. Romantic feelings. Or something. Right?"

"I guess," Machi said, not knowing what else to say. "You don't like him?"

Jun shrugged again. "Not sure. Never really thought about that. Should I like him?"

"That's not really my place to say, Jun," Machi sighed. "Dammit, Jun. You're an _adult, _you know."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Jun said with a grin, turning back to her phone. She heard the shower shut off, and looked back up to Machi. "Oh, he's done, so if you wanted to leave—"

"See you," Machi said immediately, sweeping out of the room and slamming the door behind her. Jun waved, and chuckled to herself, turning back to her phone.

"Machi left already?" Hisoka asked, emerging from the bathroom. His hair was still wet, dripping onto his chiseled body, his hand holding a towel loosely around his waist.

"She healed my arms then bolted," Jun said with a shrug, and glanced at Hisoka as he pulled off the Texture Surprise patch on his back with the spider tattoo, letting it fall to the tile floor. Jun frowned. "Why do you even wear that?"

"Are you going to shower?" Hisoka answered, making his way over to the tray of food as he once again, evaded Jun's question. It wasn't like she didn't already know the answer, but it mildly annoyed her that he wore the Ryodan tattoo, even though it would be covered by his shirt anyway. Hisoka had only ordered a glass of water, in which the ice had already melted, but he drank from it anyway.

Jun tossed her phone onto the pillow, rolling onto her back. She stretched her arms out in front of her, wiggling her fingers at the ceiling. "My clothes suit you, Jun-chan," Hisoka told her.

"They're too big," she replied, picking at the loose fabric around her torso before picking up her underwear from the ground. She pulled them on and sat up, watching him as he gazed out the window, a panel of glass taking up an entire wall. "Hisoka?"

"Hm?"

"Can we kiss?" she asked, and he turned to face her, raising an eyebrow slightly.

He did not answer right away, instead, studying her. While at times, she was unpredictable, other times, she was simply innocent. It reminded him much of Gon's naiveté. It made him want to crush her even more. "Where did you get that thought from?"

"I dunno," she replied, hugging her knees. So obvious. There were times where Hisoka felt he could read her like a book, as he had known her long enough to have noticed that she had a tendency to wear her emotions on her sleeve. On a good day, he could easily deduce her thoughts simply by the way she breathed. He often liked to test if he was right.

"Maybe I shouldn't let you talk to Machi anymore," he said, but Jun couldn't hear. She didn't care, either.

"Well, can we?"

"No," he answered shortly, turning away from her. He could practically hear the steam blowing from her ears.

"Oy, oy, why not?" she demanded, punching the bed. He knew that if she were really upset, she would have shattered the bedframe with that punch. But the furniture remained intact. Hisoka wanted to push a little more.

"_Because_, princess, I don't give things away for free," he said, glancing back at her.

"What do you mean, free? It's normal to kiss."

"Did Machi tell you that?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because you have never asked me for something like this before," Hisoka said simply. "Understand that I do not wish for our relationship to change. You are not a needy woman. Do not become one. You'll be boring."

"You know I'm not," Jun argued, half surprised that Hisoka even bothered explaining. She figured he'd ask her another rhetorical question to change the subject. "Needy, I mean. Or boring. You wouldn't be here if I was boring."

He turned to face her. She seemed to know that if she was trying to rile him up, she wasn't doing a very good job. "If you want a kiss so badly, you will have to earn it," Hisoka told her. Maybe he hadn't yet had his fill of her.

But instead of rushing him to earn what she had desired, Jun simply sighed, her _nen _evaporating instantly. She plopped back down into bed, resting her hands behind her head. "Never mind," she said. "Not worth it."

Hisoka chuckled, shaking his head. "You are an enhancer at heart, Jun-chan."

"What?"

"So simple and pure," he told her, and she propped herself up on her elbows. He knew just how to taunt her, and she hated his personality analysis of _nen _users. "You didn't really want to kiss me, did you? You were simply pondering the idea with Machi, the only other female you know, but you weren't serious about it. It's fine, I don't mind humoring you. Just try to pretend you're a little more serious next time, okay, princess?"

"Are you saying I couldn't earn a kiss?" she retorted, frowning at him.

"Yes," he answered simply, moving towards her.

Her _nen _flared sharply at being mocked, and her eyes darkened to a midnight cerulean. But before they could completely blacken, he poured the glass of water over her head. He watched her deep blue aura slowly disappear as the water calmed her down, her eyes changing back to a bright blue. She paused for a moment, flicking the hair from her face before rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Sorry, you know I get crazy when—"

In one quick motion, Hisoka captured her face and crushed his lips against hers. His tongue was in her mouth almost instantly, running against her teeth, wrestling with her tongue as their lips moved together, Jun fighting with him for power. Her hands reached up to wrap around his neck, then her fingers entangled in his hair. She tried to pull him back down to the bed, but Hisoka lifted a knee to the bed to brace himself, unwilling to get dragged into her pace, struggling to keep her in his. Electricity surged through Jun's veins, unlike anything she'd ever felt before, and she clung to him, desperate for more.

When he pulled away, her face was flushed, her lips swollen, and she was breathing hard. Hisoka smiled, and licked his lips, backing away from the bed. Jun looked too delicious at this moment; if he continued looking at her, he would definitely break more of her bones in the process of devouring her. He forced himself to resist. She was like gourmet chocolate; enticing, delectable, but a gem that he needed to spare. He needed to cultivate her a little more.

"That," he said, and she looked up at him as he turned ever so slightly. He pointed at his cheek, "was for this."

"What?" she asked, blinking, still dazed. "For punching you?"

He nodded once. "A clean hit. That will earn you one kiss." He turned to face her now and shrugged. "Or any other thing you do that impresses me."

"How will I know?"

"I'll tell you, of course," Hisoka said. "I'm not that mean, Jun-chan." Despite not having appreciated her sudden new interest, it seemed to have unraveled in his favor. This was the perfect way to motivate her. "Do we have a deal?"

Jun paused for a moment. She licked her lips and patted her cheeks, then grinned and nodded, flicking the wet hair from her face as she calmed herself down. Hisoka knew there was no way she could refuse, and he was right. "Sounds fair enough."

"I know," Hisoka replied, turning back to the window. "Go and shower, Jun-chan."

"Just Jun is fine," she replied, hopping off the bed, and disappearing into the bathroom.


	2. Chapter 2: Machi Day

"Jun-chan, I'm leaving."

Jun mumbled something inaudible into the pillow, not yet ready to drag herself out of bed. The sun was shining into the room through the enormous window, but Jun just pulled up the blankets further. Before sleeping, she'd changed the sheets and made Hisoka promise not to dirty them again, and then she proceeded to pass out for the night. While she didn't feel the pain of broken arms, it seemed her body still recognized shock, and she had retired early.

"Be sure to tie yourself to the bed before I return."

Jun grunted in response, lifting her face from the sheets just in time to see red hair disappear behind her door. She groaned, rolling over. Hisoka always got up early and left, she never knew where or why and had never bothered asking. What he did during the day was his own business.

She rolled again, falling out of bed with a loud thump, blankets toppling over her head. She stood up and stretched, using the corner of the bed to arch her back, reaching her arms out as far as they could. Maybe she could go out today, too.

She frowned, remembering Hisoka's parting words. "How am I supposed to know when you come back?" she mumbled to herself as she swung her hair up, sticking a pin through it. Yawning, she plucked Hisoka's clothes, as well as her own, from the floor and tossed them onto the bed. She scratched her head, pulling the laundry basket out from under the bed before swiping all the clothes inside. Jun had been awake a total of five minutes and she was already bored.

"Hisoka!" she called towards the door, but of course, received no answer. He was already long gone. She sighed, and plopped down onto the bed. She tried to remember what she did when Hisoka wasn't around. "Shopping?" she asked herself, standing up. It was time to get dressed.

As a floormaster, Jun owned the whole floor; but it was often too big a space for just herself. An entire room was devoted to clothes, but she only really wore clothes that allowed her to be comfortable. She pulled on a pair of black high waisted shorts, slinging on a brown belt, and pulling on a low cut turquoise tank top. Swiping her favorite oversized black and pink cherry blossom _haori_ off a hanger, she snatched up a purse, tossed in a handful Jenny from a drawer, and stepped into a pair of heeled boots before heading out the door.

She kicked her foot backwards, stopping the door, and popped back in to pluck her keys off the table before heading to the elevator. She expected to head all the way down to the bottom, but the elevator paused on the 200th floor, and the doors opened, revealing a young boy dressed in a flashy green outfit.

"Good morning!" he greeted brightly.

Jun blinked a few times, wondering if there was anyone else in the elevator that he could be greeting. "Oh, good morning," she greeted in return, smiling upon realizing that he had been speaking to her. It wasn't very often that people were nice .

"You came from upstairs, right?" he asked, pointing to the ceiling as the doors closed.

Jun nodded. "235," she told him.

"Wow, you're a floormaster!" the boy said excitedly, beaming. "You must be really strong!"

Jun laughed a little, waving him off. "Not in particular. Just got lucky with my matches, I guess. Are you trying to be a floormaster, little one?"

"Gon," he said, grinning. "Gon Freecss."

Freecss? Where had Jun heard that last name before?

"And no, I don't want to be a floormaster. I'm here to challenge someone and return a favor."

Jun laughed. "Oh really? That sounds fun. Train hard. I'm sure you can do it," she told him, and actually meant it. The world was filled with a lot of bad people, and Jun could normally sense that sort of thing just by feeling their _nen _for a few minutes, but there was something different about this boy. Something pure and innocent that she hadn't seen in a long time.

"I will!" Gon assured her. The elevator hit the bottom floor, a bell ringing with a soft ping, and the doors opened. "Oh, I never got your name!"

"Sekihara Jun," she said, and Gon grinned.

"It was nice to meet you, Jun-san!"

"Just Jun is fine," but Gon had already darted out of the elevator. She sighed to herself, smiling. It was rare to meet a child with such innocence; it gave her hope in this boring world. She took a breath and suppressed her aura. _Zetsu_. She hated when people in the lobby noticed her, and talked down to her, or challenged her; it was all too boring already. She passed through the busy lobby without as much of a glance.

* * *

"Oy, who's that?" Killua asked Gon, gesturing to the woman leaving. Her outfit was flashy, or rather, _sketchy_, what with the oversized black haori and bright colored shirt. It was like she was trying to draw attention to herself and divert attention away from herself at the same time. Killua had seen Gon leave the elevator and he could have sworn that woman was with him.

"Who?" Gon asked, glancing to where Killua had been pointing, but there was no one there.

Killua frowned. She had moved quite quickly, and he couldn't sense her aura. "Nevermind." He shrugged. Maybe next time.

Jun glanced backwards. She thought that someone had spotted her, but she was met with a sea of anonymous faces. She shrugged. Maybe she had just imagined it. No one could sense her when she was using _zetsu_. She released it, figuring it didn't matter anyway.

She opened her purse and scanned through her cash. She had enough money to purchase a small island, but was tired of clothes. Jun turned again, eyes scanning the crowd. A flash of green caught her eye and she watched Gon leave with a silver haired friend. She checked her phone for the time. She hadn't tracked someone for fun in a while.

She stepped forward, ready to evaporate into _zetsu_, but nearly crashed into someone.

"Making trouble?" Machi asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jun grinned sheepishly. "No way." She glanced back, and the two boys were out of sight, and she frowned.

"Don't lie to me, Jun," Machi sighed.

"What're you doing here anyway? Aren't you working?" Jun asked. "How'd you find me?"

"Too many questions," Machi said, waving her off. "And I saw that weird look on your face. I know your stalker face. Just because you're a cute girl doesn't mean it's any less creepy."

Jun fake gasped, poking Machi's shoulder. "I'm not creepy!"

"You were about to _stalk _someone, Jun. Take a second to think about that."

Jun pouted, knowing that Machi was right. She knew that she had a tendency to become obsessed with new, interesting things to the point of exhaustion. Life was so boring sometimes that anything interesting sparked a new fire in her. She was like a crow, collecting shiny things for her nest.

"Don't you have work?" Jun asked as she and Machi headed out of the arena. She was actually glad to have run into her today. "I'm sure there are lots of other holes for spiders to crawl in."

"Hisoka said to never talk to you again."

Jun laughed. "Uwah, you disobeeeeeyed."

"_You _disobeyed! You kissed him, didn't you?" Machi countered and Jun grinned again. Machi sighed. "You got me in trouble. I'm going to charge you another fifty million for not keeping your mouth shut."

"Oy, Hisoka was supposed to pay—"

"Cash," Machi said, holding out her hand. When Jun didn't hand her money right away, Machi flicked her wrist and Jun sighed, digging out a handful of money from her purse and slapping it into Machi's hands. "Try not to talk to him about what we talk about, Jun. You're one of the only people I know outside the spiders but if word gets out about it, you'll be killed."

"That'd be bad," Jun said, grinning. "But at least if I die, it'll be painless."

"Comforting," Machi replied, rolling her eyes. "This isn't a joke, Jun. If anything happens, I'm not going to be able to save you."

Jun shrugged, not seeming particularly interested. "If I die, at least it won't be painful," she said, grinning. "You know I hate pain."

"I do know," Machi sighed. It bothered her when Jun wasn't serious about death. As someone who had been a part of the Genei Ryodan since it's creation, Machi walked with death. She understood it, she accepted it. There was a method to her madness. But Machi could never see Jun's method, only her madness. She couldn't help but wonder what it was that Jun had gone through in the past to make her the way she was.

However, now was not the time to talk about it. She decided to change the subject. "Do you want to shop?"

"You took all my money."

"Then you can watch me shop."

"Fun," Jun replied, grinning. Jun didn't have many friends, so Machi knew that she was always happy to spend time with another human being. The only problem with that was that no matter how much Jun wanted to spend time with other people, after a certain amount of time, she became bored with them and distanced herself. Hisoka had been the only person that she had stayed in contact with for a long period of time. Machi was a close second, but then again, they hadn't known each other for very long. Machi wondered if Jun would get bored of her one day.

"I made a new friend," Jun said, her voice snapping Machi out of her thoughts.

"Oh?"

"A boy."

"Aren't you already sleeping with Hisoka? I didn't know you were so greedy, Jun."

Jun waved her hand. "No, not like that! A young boy! Like twelve years old! He seemed nice. Totally not boring. I was going to track him."

"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe that's why you get bored of people?" Machi asked. Jun perked, listening. "Because you get to know them without _actually_ getting to know them? You're good at following people, so you learn things about them and they don't get to know you. It's not a two way street."

"But it's more fun that way," Jun argued, puffing out her cheeks. "Every person I know I've followed. Except you, Machi."

"Good," Machi said, truly relieved. She was more involved with Troupe things than Hisoka, as Hisoka barely showed up to anything. If Jun had followed her, one of the other members was bound to catch on, and she would have been killed. That was something Machi didn't want to see. "And see how we're friends? That's how you _should_ make friends, Jun, by _making them_." Jun grinned, and Machi made a face. "What?"

"You said we were friends," Jun said, shrugging. "That's the first time you've said that."

Machi flushed, waving her off. "Well, of course we're friends!" Machi told her. "You think I'd come rescue you from your crazy nighttime festivities if we weren't friends? I only provide services to the other spiders, you know."

"Uwah, I'm lucky to have a good friend like you, then," she said, smiling.

"Do you have any fights lined up soon?" Machi asked, changing the subject as they approached the shopping center. She kept her hair down and wore different outfits in public. The last thing she needed was someone recognizing her.

Jun shrugged. "They haven't told me anything. I don't want to fight."

"You have to defend your title, you know," Machi reasoned.

"Booooring," Jun groaned, mussing her hair. "Everyone I fight is so _boring_! I don't know why people challenge me; the other floormasters seem more fun to fight than me. And I don't want to fight boring people."

"You're a floormaster for a reason."

"You think if we fought, it'd be fun?" Jun asked, smiling at Machi. Machi frowned at the glint in Jun's eyes. It was the same fire that burned in Hisoka; Jun just wanted a challenge.

"It'd be boring," Machi assured her.

"Huh? Why?" Jun asked, genuinely confused. The sparkle in her eyes disappeared as she waited for Machi to answer.

"Because I know your power," Machi reminded her. "Once you know someone's _nen_, it's easier to counter."

"So, you're saying I'd beat you."

Machi ignored the vein in her head that wanted to burst, remaining calm. She wouldn't let Jun get her way. "It'd be the other way around."

Jun leapt forward and turned to face her. "Wanna settle it once and for all? We can use fifty percent of our strength."

"I'd rather you not die," Machi said, ignoring Jun and the glances she was getting from passersby. She strolled right past Jun, who frowned, but followed her. "And I don't use 'percentages' as accurately as you. If we fought, I'd be at a hundred percent, Jun."

"You think you could kill me?" Jun asked, not as a challenge this time, but rather as an innocent question. She simply wanted to know the answer. She wanted to know what Machi thought, and Machi wanted to give it to her straight.

"That's the _point_," Machi started, turning to face her, the two of them stopping in the middle of the hustle and bustle of people. "I don't _want _to kill you. I said you and I were friends, and I meant it, Jun. I don't want to fight, because I think if we do, one of us will die."

Jun paused for a moment, processing what Machi said. Then she smiled, the corners of her eyes creasing happily. Then, in the most honest, sincere tone, Jun answered, "I think it'd be me."

"We'll never know," Machi told her, and turned, starting to walk again.

Jun caught up with her, walking beside her. "Where do you want to go?" she asked, glancing around at the different shops. Machi wasn't sure if she was purposely changing the subject, or if she was simply being her innocent self.

"I was actually thinking of getting a new dress," Machi answered, ducking into a tiny boutique. They were the only two customers. Jun plucked the first price tag she saw on a simple sky blue blouse. The fabric was soft, like it would crumble in her hand if she grasped it too tightly.

"Fifty million," she mumbled to herself. "Not as bad as I thought."

Machi pulled a dress off the rack, holding it against her body. It was a stark black three-fourths sleeve fitted dress with a simple brown belt around the waist. "Is this nice?"

"It's just a black dress," Jun answered, sitting on one of the seat cushions.

"It's actually woven from the silk very rare ten-legged spider," the worker piped from her place at the register. She was primped like a porcelain doll, with pastel make up and her blonde hair done exactly right, not a strand out of place. Even her tone of voice was robotic. "Currently, there exists only twenty of that spider in the world, and the silk it spins is characterized by being the purest form of black; it absolutely absorbs all color. That dress is the only of its kind; it took over fifteen years to make."

"You had me at 'spider,'" Machi said with a smile, pulling out her credit card without even bothering to look at the price.

"Uwah, interesting," Jun said, really meaning it. Even Machi found it surprising that Jun would express such a thought; she normally only commented that things were boring.

"You can't have the dress," Machi told her, making a face, and Jun waved her off.

"I don't want it. I don't wear dresses," Jun laughed. "Do the spiders make any other things?"

"Unfortunately, no," the worker answered flatly. By the way Jun was dressed, the worker did not seem interested in anything Jun had to say.

"Bummer," Jun said, shrugging, already forgetting about it.

"You aren't going to look around?" Machi asked as the worker rang her up.

"Nah, I don't have my credit card," Jun said. She already seemed disinterested in shopping. "I have enough clothes. I don't even wear half of them."

Machi just shrugged. Even though Jun wasn't interested in the store anymore, didn't meant that Machi was just going to let today's events fall into Jun's pace. So, she spent the day dragging Jun along to the most expensive boutiques around the city.

"I'm hungry," Jun whined after a few hours. She shielded her face from the sun. "And it's hot. Can we go inside and eat?"

"I don't want to eat French fries and ice cream," Machi complained, frowning. "I will literally pay for us to go somewhere that does not serve french fries and ice cream. Literally _anywhere_ else, Jun."

"Ugh, can we just go somewhere where there's something else you can order?" Jun argued and Machi sighed. She _had_ dragged Jun around all day. Maybe she could offer a compromise.

"Fine, let's flip a coin."

"I'm not a _spider_," Jun said, making sure that her voice was low. "I don't flip coins."

"Fine," Machi sighed. "A bar, then. They serve fries and ice cream and other food that normal humans eat."

"I don't like bars," Jun said, but Machi was already heading over to the nearest bar, and Jun was forced to follow. At least there was going to be fries. Machi placed herself down in one of the booths across a massive flat screen television, and Jun scooted in next to her.

She took a deep breath and Machi thought Jun was going to sigh and complain. "_Fries and ice cream_!" Jun roared, attracting all the attention in the bar.

"Jun!" Machi hissed, trying to hide her face.

The work staff seemed to recognize her and immediately rushed into the kitchen, calling out her order. "Lovely," Jun said happily, clapping her hands with a grin. She turned to Machi and looked surprised, as though forgetting she was there. "Oh, what did you want to eat?"

"I'll order myself," Machi told her as the eyes moved off them. She was about to give Jun a scolding. "Hey, look," she said, nudging Jun to look at the television.

Jun turned to the flat screen to see her face. "Oh, it's me," she stated, poking her nose. The Jun in the television was standing on a white stone arena, her black _haori_ floating around her. A short sword was attached to her hip. The camera panned around to her opponent, a shirtless, burly man at least triple her size wielding twin blades. Jun squinted. "Uwah. Who's that?"

Machi couldn't help but laugh a little. "You don't remember your own fight?"

"When was this?" Jun asked, more to herself than to anyone in particular.

_ "And now, the fight you've all been waiting for!" called the announcer. "The main event of the evening, Leviathan versus Sekihara Jun! This is Kymaera here providing all your Heavens Arena play-by-play needs!"_

"That announcer always made me a little crazy," Jun laughed. She turned to Machi. "Did you see the fight? I don't even remember this guy. Why are they showing reruns of fights?"

"I was away when this happened," Machi told her. "If you were having a live fight, I would have definitely been there."

_ The referee announced the rules – ten point system, first to ten or KO wins – and the match began. The large man thrust a finger at her. "Get ready, Sekihara! I'm gonna be the one to take your floor!" he roared, and was met with a rumble of cheers from the audience. He flexed, showing off his bulging muscles, inciting more cheers from the audience._

_ "Oh, and it looks like Leviathan has started this match with a provocation!" cried Kymaera_.

Jun rolled her eyes as an entire handcart full of trays of French fries was rolled to their table. More waiters brought out a basin of ice cream and Jun grinned, clapping her hands together.

"_Itadakimasu_," she said, and scooped up a handful of fries, already seeming disinterested in her own fight that was playing on television. People stared at her as they realized that the woman on screen was sitting in the same bar as they were, shoveling her face with junk food. They seemed to not know how to react, whispering amongst themselves. But Jun was oblivious.

_ Jun didn't look particularly amused; her brow was actually creased in what looked like annoyance. She turned to the referee, hands on her hips. "Can I forfeit?" she asked, lifting a hand to scratch her head. The referee just stared at her for a moment, not sure if he had heard her right._

_ "Did I just hear right?" Kymaera asked the stadium. "Did the floormaster just ask to forfeit?"_

_ Leviathan burst out laughing, even needing to raise a finger to wipe the tears from his eyes. The referee turned to Jun. "Sekihara-san—"_

_ "Just Jun is fine," she interrupted. She glanced around as though looking for someone. Anyone who saw Sekihara Jun fight knew that the same referee normally dealt with her, a man with an eyepatch. "Where is Tan-san?"_

_ "—if you forfeit the match, it will count as your loss. You'll lose your floor and title here as a floormaster," the referee, explained, not wanting to end the match without her understanding the consequences. He had heard that Sekihara Jun was a handful, but he hadn't been expecting this. He didn't think Tanaka would stick him in this situation._

_ Jun frowned, already forgetting about being ignored regarding her favorite referee. "Damn, I kinda like my house. I don't have anywhere else to live."_

_ "Are you so afraid of me that you are thinking of forfeiting before the match even begins?" Leviathan bellowed, trying to make a show._

"What a butthole," Jun said, chomping on a French fry as Machi ordered a club sandwich. It was like Jun was watching her own fight for the first time, instead of remembering that she had experienced it. She was the one fighting, after all, yet she seemed interested in the outcome as though she didn't already know.

_Jun sighed exasperatedly, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I have a meeting with a friend, he's back in town like, right this second, and I would rather go see him than kill you," Jun told him. She waved her hand arbitrarily. "This match would be really boring for the both of us. Can you forfeit?"_

_ A vein in Leviathan's head looked like it was going to burst at her statement, and the referee turned back to Jun. "Will you continue to fight?"_

_ Before Jun could answer, Leviathan flew across the arena, cranking his arm back for a punch. Jun slid out of the way with a hair's width to spare as he crushed the stone where she had been standing. She hopped across the arena, hands in the pockets of her _haori_, unscathed and uninterested._

_ "Oh, and it begins! Ready for blood, Leviathan doesn't wait one second for Jun's answer!" Kymaera called. "How will Jun respond?"_

_ Jun touched her cheek, where the speed of Leviathan's punch whizzing by had cut her skin. Leviathan turned and grinned manically. "You better get off your fucking high horse, Sekihara! Next time, it'll be your head!"_

_ Jun groaned, flicking the blood off her fingers. Then she disappeared, and reappeared, standing on Leviathan's forearm. The camera caught her swiftly hiss something into his ear, but didn't catch the words, only Leviathan's eyes widening. She disappeared again, this time reappearing on the arena floor where she had originally been standing. The camera zoomed in on her smiling face, her darkened eyes piercing into the lens._

_ "Did anyone hear that?" Kymaera asked the audience. "It appears Jun said something to Leviathan! What could that have been?"_

"What did you say?" Machi asked, furrowing her brows. If she had been there, maybe she would have heard it, but even on camera, it was too quick and soundless for her to have read her lips. Machi had seen Jun's eyes darken before, but never this deep blue. She could have sworn that they were almost black.

Jun shrugged. Machi expected Jun to say that she didn't know, but instead, Jun grinned. "Secret."

_"Okay," Jun said, scratching her nose with a finger. "Give me a number between one and thirty, because since you won't forfeit, that's the percentage of my strength I'm going to use to kill you. Any number! You can say one percent if you want, and we'll have a super fun match, or sixty, and I'll kill you in two seconds. The world is yours!"_

_Leviathan's face creased in rage and his _nen _exploded all around him, thick and venomous like volcanic sulfur. "You dare mock me?" he roared. "You think I will lose to a tiny woman like you?" Jun didn't respond, instead kept smiling. "You weak woman! You think you can do whatever you want and say whatever you want just because you won a floor on dumb luck?"_

_ Jun puffed her cheeks out, shrugging, her hands still in her pocket. "Okay then, Levia-san, how about you just _guess_ the percentage I need to use to make your head roll. I'm only guesstimating though, so I'll take a number close to it, like one higher or one lower."_

_Leviathan, fed up with her nonchalant attitude flew at her full speed. "And there he goes!" Kymaera announced. "Leviathan makes the first move again! What will Jun—"_

_ Jun whipped out the short sword from her waist and drive it straight through Leviathan's eye. She stopped at the end of the optic nerve and slice across his face, taking out his other eye. Blood sprayed onto her face and clothes, and all she did was smile._

_ "_Oh_!" Kymaera cried, slamming her hands on the table, the boom echoing in the giant arena. "Now that's what I call a counter!"_

_ Jun ripped the sword out from Leviathan's face, spun around and slammed her foot into his temple. Leviathan flew across the arena, slamming into the wall, the stone crumbling around him like he were a meteor that had struck the earth._

_ Jun flicked the blood off her sword, pulling off the eyeball stuck on it. She tossed it to the referee, who backed away from it. "What's that, a clean hit and knockdown?" she asked, smiling brightly through the crimson blood that dirtied her face. She didn't even bother to wipe it off._

_ The referee was shaking in his boots. "It's a TK—"_

_ "But it's _not_ a TKO," Jun told him before he could finish Her voice was completely calm, and she remained smiling, but the referee still seemed uneasy, sweat forming on his brow. He seemed to be unable to decide whether or not to let the match continue and live, or end the match and accept his death. "Lookie." She pointed to where she had kicked him, and the referee saw a large figure standing in the dust. "He's still standing. I can have fun, then, right?"_

_ "C-clean hit, knockdown, Sekihara Jun, two points," the referee announced, and Jun smiled._

_ "Thank you," she said, hopping off the stone mats towards Leviathan. She looked back and the referee and smiled. "I get to let you live."_

_ It looked like she was going for a Sunday morning stroll, she had sheathed her sword and stuffed her hands back in her pockets. The entire arena roared with cheers as Leviathan's body shook. She stopped two feet in front of Leviathan, looking up at him with a smile._

_ "What percentage?" she asked, and he startled, not realizing that she has in front of him. He raised a fist to punch her, but she blocked it with one arm, twisted around, and pulled it in the opposite direction, breaking it backwards. Leviathan howled in pain, and she pulled further, the broken bone protruding out of his skin._

_ "I _said_, what percentage?" Jun asked again, still smiling._

_ Leviathan didn't seem to hear her, instead screaming in pain, clutching his arm. Jun sighed. "You know, Levia-san, I don't like when people don't pay attention to me when I'm talking to them," she told him. She held up three fingers. "I'm going to give you to three to guess the right answer. Shall I count for you, since you can't see me put my fingers down?"_

_ "Now this is grade A torture! This is bloodshed!" Kymaera cried excitedly._

_ "One," Jun said, putting down one finger. Leviathan swung at the source of her voice with his good hand and she leapt over it with ease, crashing down on his fingers. She stomped hard, shattering the bones in his hand as he screamed manically, trying to rip his hand out from under her feet, but to no avail. "Two."_

_ "I'm sorry," Leviathan screamed, desperately trying to pull out his hand. "Spare me! Spare me!"_

_ "Bzzt," she said, sounding off like a buzzer. "That wasn't even a number, you silly bear. Thanks for playing!"_

_ And in one swift movement, she tore out her sword and blood sprayed as she split his chest open. Blood rained on Jun like a storm and Leviathan collapsed, dead. She didn't bother wiping her face off, but cleaned her blade on the inside of her _haori_ that had been untouched by blood. She sheathed her sword with a soft click._

_ The referee crossed his hands, still visibly shaking on camera. "TKO!"_

_ "Ladies and gentlemen! Without even using her special ability, the match is over! Heavens Arena, this is your floormaster, Sekihara Juuuuuun!" Kymaera called, and the audience erupted into thunderous cheers, the entire arena shaking with the sound. _

_ She kicked his head slightly, not even seeming fazed by the audience's racket. "Ten percent."_

"Uwah, I didn't see that coming," Jun laughed, scooping ice cream into her mouth. A large amount of customers had fled from the bar, not wanting to see the gore or be in Jun's presence. She applauded, grinning. "Good fight, good fight! I'm cool, huh?"

Machi could only stare at the television as the Jun on screen sauntered out of the arena, unaffected. That had been the first time she had seen Jun fight and it was a lot more gruesome than she had thought it was going to be. With a short sword at her hip and a face that spilled rainbows and sunshine, Jun seemed a lot darker than Machi thought. Where did all this bloodlust and malice come from?

"I think that might have been my most recent fight," Jun said, seeming as though she remembered the fight a little from the video playback. "Like, eight months ago or something. I don't like fighting."

Machi just hummed in response, not sure if she could ever unsee that fight. She had seen a lot of terrible things in this world, but that sort of terrible thing coming from a girl like Jun was one of the most haunting things she had ever experienced.

"Hisoka said my fight was boring. He came like, right before my fight so he watched me on TV in the room. I was late."

"So, you tortured and killed someone because you were late to see Hisoka," Machi summarized.

"Well, if you put it that way, it makes me sound insane," Jun laughed as she was brought another bowl of ice cream. "But I hadn't seen him in over six months so I was a little excited."

Machi laughed a little, shaking her head. "You're a crazy person, Jun."

Jun smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."


	3. Chapter 3: Silver Prey

_ Red. _

_ It was the only color she could see, burning into her eyes, shaking her vision, swirling everything into shades of crimson. She couldn't read their lips. She couldn't make out the words they were saying. She couldn't hear their screams._

_ Her hand tightened over the handle of her sword, her nails digging into her skin so hard that she drew blood. But she didn't feel pain. She didn't feel anything. Someone charged at her from the right. Her body moved on her own and the ground shook for a moment as he fell, dead._

_ "Where is my brother?" she asked again, her voice a manic scream. "Where is my brother? Where is Jin'ai?"_

_ Cries for help echoed around her, the thunderous sound blurring into a tornado of screeching noise. Red. Everything was red._

_ "Restrain her!" she heard someone yell, and in the next moment, felt skull bones crushed under her fingers, more blood staining her hands. The short sword in her hand was painted red and her arm moved on its own, thrusting into flesh at her left._

_ "Where is he?"_

Jun burst out of bed, and clutched her face, her body shaking. Her breathing was ragged, her jaw quivering. She flung the covers off herself and fled to the bathroom, flinging up the faucet handles. Water gushed out like a torrent, and she threw her face under it, letting herself be overwhelmed with it, the water drenching her hair. She lifted her face to the mirror, still dripping wet, her body still shaking. She watched her midnight blue eyes slowly revert back to blue as her breathing slowed.

She pressed her hands to the marble sink, her entire body weight sinking onto her arms as she tried to calm herself. Her mind was spinning. She hadn't had that dream in years. Jun tried to stand still; she knew that if she left the bathroom before she calmed herself, something bad was going to happen. She knew she'd kill someone.

"Make it stop," she heard herself say as she tried focusing her breathing. Her eyes were unfocused, pupils dilated and her jaw still trembling. Red. It was all she saw, and she shut her eyes tight, trying to black it out; she couldn't think about any of this. She couldn't relive that time.

"_Make it stop_," she cried and slammed her fist down on the marble sink, taking off a chunk of rock, dust crumbling onto her feet. She ran her hands under the sink, splashing more water onto her face and washing the rubble from her hands. Jun slammed her hands down on the counter again, steadying herself.

The faucet still cascaded like a waterfall, swirling around the sink, the sound of water helping to slow everything down. After what felt like an eternity, she lifted a hand to shut off the water, and swiped a towel to wipe her face and hair as best as she could. She checked the mirror again, making sure that her eyes were blue again. She noticed that she was only dressed in Hisoka's black shirt and a pair of underwear. She didn't even notice him when she'd left her room. Was he even still here?

Shutting off the light, she trudged back into her room, exhausted. Hisoka was awake, sitting up, flipping through cards. He was shirtless, his red hair falling into his face, the blankets covering his waist. "Oh, sorry," she said quietly, not getting into bed yet. Was he upset? He turned to her at the sound of her voice. "Did I wake you?"

"No," he told her simply. He patted the place on the bed next to him and Jun slunk in, pulling the blankets up and curling into a ball. "Bad dream?"

Jun nodded, not saying anything. Hisoka looked down at her. Despite sleeping together for five years, often, Hisoka forgot that Jun was a girl, too. She was unpredictable and wild – a warrior – but first and foremost, she was still just a young woman. She was still vulnerable at times, too.

"What was it about?" Hisoka asked, flipping over the ace of hearts.

Jun's eyes were open for a while, and it seemed as though she were thinking about something, her brows furrowed. "Nothing," she said quietly.

"If you say so," he replied, not caring to pry. Jun didn't ask about his past, and he offered her the same courtesy. Although he was mildly curious, their relationship wasn't like that. Hisoka looked back to his cards. He flipped the king of spades, then the four of clubs. "You were quite dangerous. I felt some scary _nen _from that bathroom."

"Good thing I didn't see you then," she said, her voice soft and completely lacking of malice. She truly seemed relieved that she didn't notice him sleeping next to her. "I think I would have killed you."

Hisoka chuckled. "Getting a little ambitious, Jun-chan."

"I guess," she said, not bothering to correct her name. She took a deep breath, uncurling a little. "When you get ten wins at the arena, are you going to fight me?"

"Maybe," Hisoka said, shrugging.

"Then you'll try to kill me." It was a statement. Not a question.

"I _will_ kill you."

Jun chuckled a little, seeming to have completely returned to her normal self. "You know, I've always wondered what the outcome would be if we fought."

"I just told it to you," Hisoka said, flipping more cards. "Try to listen, Jun-chan."

"Just because you said it, doesn't mean it's true. I think I could kill you if I really tried, like if I was at a hundred percent, I could do it."

Hisoka turned to her and licked his lips. "Don't turn me on," he warned her, and she laughed.

"If you could kill me, wouldn't you have?" she asked.

"I can kill you any time I want, but it's not the right time now," Hisoka told her. "Besides, I haven't had my fill of you. If I kill you, who will be my little princess when I come to the arena? That would be a waste."

"Do you even _want_ to kill me?" she asked, and Hisoka turned to look at her. Her blue eyes were wide with curiosity; she wasn't challenging him. She was just asking.

The fire in Jun that Hisoka found magnetic was nowhere to be seen, and he forced himself to remain smiling through his disappointment. The difficult part about trying to ripen her was finding the right triggers. It was like testing temperature of water; it couldn't be too hot or she'd become too flustered and upset - the wrong kind of fire; but it couldn't be too cold and not incite a reaction from her at all. It was all too fun. He definitely couldn't kill her any time soon.

"Nothing would make me happier," he told her. He poked her forehead with a sharp nail. "Wouldn't you say the same?"

Jun thought for a moment, and then nodded. She brought her hands up, looking at them. "I think if I could kill you, I could validate myself as a fighter. And if I could do that, I'd leave Heavens Arena. There wouldn't be a point for me to stay. You're not my final goal, after all."

Hisoka smiled, hearing the tiniest spark in her voice. He had zero idea what she was talking about, but whatever fueled her fire validated the reason he had kept her alive. "Then become that person," he said, looking back to his cards. "And, as always, when you're ready, I will accept your challenge."

Jun laughed, shaking her head. "But I don't want to do that right now, or, any time soon, I think," she said. "I like the way things are. We have a fun relationship. I think I actually prefer you alive."

"Ah, you understand my dilemma." Queen of spades. Three of hearts. Five of clubs. She was quiet for a while. Hisoka didn't mind the silence between them sometimes; it was never awkward. He understood that she needed time to think and sort out her thoughts; to decide what to say and what not to. She wasn't as quick with manipulative decisions as Hisoka was. Not that he felt like she'd ever truly find it in her heart to manipulate him. She was an enhancer down to the core, after all. Despite her wavering abilities.

"Oy," she said after some time. Hisoka had flipped through his deck and was going through it a second time. He could have returned to sleep, but he could feel that Jun still had things to say. He decided to wait to see what it was going to be.

"Yes?" he encouraged. King of diamonds. Queen of hearts.

Jun seemed to be finding the right words, chewing on her lip, thinking. "Why do you stay?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," he lied. He knew the answer. He just wanted her to grow enough before he could have the pleasure of killing her. He stayed because she was interesting, because she was one of his longest projects. Plus, she was infinitely amusing; he liked guessing what she would say next, or how she would react. There was never a time he was with her that he was bored. The sex was simply a bonus.

"Like, don't you have your own room?"

Hisoka closed his eyes for a moment, pondering her adorable naiveté, a little dumbfounded. _That _was what she had meant? He had obviously misunderstood. He thought she had been thinking on a bigger scale, when really, it seemed she just wanted her bed to herself. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked, for once not knowing what else to say.

"No," she said. "I was just wondering. Isn't that sort of thing weird for our kind of relationship?"

Hisoka chuckled. It was often that he forgot Jun had absolutely no knowledge of relationships with other people. She was alone most of the time; the only people she really knew were him, and as of recently, Machi. Both those relationships were rather complicated, as he and Jun were not in a traditional relationship, and Machi, being in the Geien Ryodan, was knew to knowing someone not in the Ryodan, so their friendship was a cautious one. "I suppose," he answered, shrugging. "If you would like me to sleep in my room, I will do so. Whatever makes my Jun-chan happy."

"Nah, that'd be weird," she said, waving her hand as she dismissed the idea. "I'm used to things the way they are."

"Then why bring it up?"

"Because I wanted to know why," she said, shrugging. "Which you never answered."

"Does it matter?"

"Yeah," she said immediately.

"I don't have a reason. I simply enjoy being here. Isn't that enough?"

Jun seemed to think for a while, and then smiled sweetly, nodding. "It is, actually."

Hisoka smiled. He knew that was the correct answer, the one that would make her happy, which was why he had said it in the first place. First and foremost, Jun was a girl. She would be happy when someone said they enjoyed her company, especially someone like her that spent almost no time with other people.

She stretched out her arms and closed her eyes, sighing. "You know, I think talking to you really helped. I think I can sleep now," she told him. Hisoka kept flipping cards. After some time, he snuck a glance out of the corner of his eyes. Her body moved up and down rhythmically as she breathed. He wondered if she was really sleeping. Two of spades. Eight of hearts. Five of clubs.

He grew bored with flipping his cards, gathering them together and placing them on the nightstand. Perhaps he had been wrong about Jun pretending to sleep.

"Oy," she said, and Hisoka looked down at her. She popped an eye open and smiled the most perfect smile Hisoka had ever seen. It was so innocent and sweet; it even seemed a little shy. All of those pure, positive emotions were directed at him in that exact moment. It felt...warm. "Thanks."

* * *

The sun rose and once again, Hisoka found himself staring at the woman beside him. Her silky ebony hair fell into her face as she slept peacefully, her pale skin like fire in the morning sun; a beautiful sleeping beast. He could kill her now, slit her throat with the tip of his finger, and that would be the end of it.

But then that would be no fun. He sat up and stretched out, rolling his shoulder blades back, his muscles flexing with the movement. Hisoka wondered what she did during the day when he wasn't around. He was sure that even though he'd explicitly told Machi not to speak to Jun, she was going to ignore him, but Machi couldn't see Jun every day. There were probably long periods of time when both he and Machi were out of town and it was just Jun here, alone. He wondered if she got sad.

Then, he remembered that she had a grand total of zero emotional attachment to anyone and anything. That was why he spent time with her worry-free. Because even if he stopped coming one day, he knew she wouldn't be affected. Her brain physically would not allow herself to feel pain, therefore, negative emotions such as sadness or guilt didn't exist in her book. She was the perfect plaything, as she was virtually unbreakable. This was what made it more fun. Hisoka wanted to see if he could break the unbreakable woman.

_"Thanks."_

He wondered why she had said that last night. He hadn't done anything in particular, but she had thanked him. From what Hisoka knew of Jun, she wasn't the type to waste her breath; she'd get bored of talking of she didn't see a purpose. He wasn't sure what to think of it and then wondered why he even cared.

Hisoka swung his bare legs over the side of the bed, glancing back at her. She was wearing his black shirt, one of his favorites. She was so tiny and petite, so frail, he could crush her. He stood up and headed to the bathroom, thinking about what a lonely life Jun Sekihara lived.

* * *

Jun was going to find him. Hisoka had left in the morning, bidding her farewell with some sexual comment as he usually did, and she'd counted to a thousand before leaping out of bed. She threw on clothes, swirled up her hair, stepped into her flats and slid out the door without as much as a peep.

After her shopping day with Machi, she had tried to slip around both Machi and Hisoka's watchful eyes, trying to time her elevator rides downstairs. She'd been doing this a few days now, but her timing had never been right. However, a spark in her chest made her feel like today was going to be her lucky day.

She hopped into the elevator and rode it downstairs, making sure to watch the numbers decrease. The golden characters stopped on 200 and she held her breath. The doors opened, revealing the same green clad boy from a few days ago. She let out the breath she had been holding and offered him a smile. "Gon," she greeted, and he seemed surprised that she remembered him, but grinned back.

"Jun-nee, good morning," he greeted. She stuck out her hand to hold the elevator open, not bothering to correct him on her name this time. No one had ever called her 'Jun-nee' and she kind of liked the ring to it. She was never anyone's older sister.

She noticed his arm in a sling and pointed to it. "Oy, what happened?"

Gon looked down at his arm as though he had forgotten it was broken and grinned sheepishly. "Oh, yeah, I lost pretty badly in a fight the other day," Gon explained.

"Really?" Jun asked, surprised. "Against the person you came to fight?"

"Oh, no," Gon said, shaking his head. "It'll be some time before I fight—"

"Gon, I'm going to take the next elevator," Killua said. Jun finally noticed the silver haired boy behind Gon in the off-white shirt. His electric blue eyes cute through the air as he shot her the nastiest glare she'd ever seen a child muster. It would have made a grown man cower in fear, but Jun just smiled. The boy didn't step onto the elevator.

"Oh, how rude of me," Jun said, holding out her other hand for him to shake. "Sekihara Jun."

"Taking the next elevator," Killua said again, not looking away from Jun for a second.

"Killua? Why?" Gon asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Jun waved her hand, smiling. "I can understand why you don't want to get on an elevator with me," she told Killua with a laugh. She retracted the hand she'd extended to him and pointed upward. "I'm a floor master. I could kill you and you wouldn't even know it 'til your head rolled."

Killua didn't laugh. His glare only darkened. "I'd like to see you try."

"Uwah, scary. I was kidding, you silly bear," she commented, unfazed. This only seemed to enrage Killua even more, his eyes slanting even more. She could see he was resisting the urge to dive at her throat. It only made her thirsty for a fight. She forced herself to smile and resist. "Don't worry," she told them. "I don't hurt kids."

"_Gon_, I forgot something at the room," Killua snapped, obviously annoyed and making up lies. He wasn't even trying to hide it, and Jun continued smiling. Gon bowed apologetically as Killua whirled around, sulking back down the hall.

"See you later, Jun-nee," he said, waving as the elevator doors closed.

Her eyes fell back onto the golden numbers at the top and when she had dropped a hundred floors, she took a deep breath, and used _zetsu_. That boy was probably already tracking her _nen_ and if she disappeared too early, he would know.

That wasn't a part of the plan. She sighed. She'd finally gotten to see Gon again and she'd been interrupted by his friend. He did seem oddly familiar, though. He had the same presence as some pin-faced guys she knew. She shook the thought from her head. What would a Zoldyck be doing wandering out in the world?

She slunk into the lobby, keeping her breathing steady, placing herself on a cushion across the lobby. She whipped out her phone and flipped through her email, pulling up a game. The elevator reached the bottom floor many times, but the two kids didn't emerge. Those kids were sure taking a while. It seemed the silver haired one was more cautious than she thought. She wasn't particularly sure why; she knew that she didn't look menacing; she was probably one of the least frightening off the floor masters. He had good instincts, though, Jun had to give him that.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her shaking hands with a game of Tetris. Nothing could explain how much she wanted to fight that silver haired boy. What was his name? Killua? She had thought that she wanted to fight Gon at some point, but Killua was certainly a surprise. He was smart, and he had the balls to stand up to her, a floor master, without as much as a sliver of hesitation.

Today was definitely going to be a good day.

* * *

"I don't like her," Killua told Gon. Thirty minutes had passed and he'd still yet to leave the room. That woman didn't seem like the patient type and Killua felt there was a higher chance that she would leave the tower if he waited longer, and made it seem like he had changed his mind about leaving the tower all together. But however impatient she might have seemed, Killua sensed a burning persistence in her. A budding obsession that reminded him of the same kind of twisted admiration a certain red haired magician had for Gon.

"Why?" Gon asked. "She seems nice."

"You heard what she said, didn't you?" Killua retorted, bewildered. How could someone be this naïve? "_I could kill you wouldn't even know it until your head rolled_."

"She said she was joking," Gon reasoned. "I didn't sense any bad _nen _from her."

Killua hated to admit that he was right. He didn't sense any bad _nen _from her. Or rather, he couldn't sense anything at all. There was nothing malicious about her, like Illumi or Hisoka. Her _nen _wasn't suffocating; it didn't make him feel threatened. It was just a burning feeling in his gut, torching his insides like acid. Perhaps she was more like those two than she let on.

"I'm gonna head out," Killua said, hopping off the bed. He had been using _zetsu_ since Jun had left on the elevator. "Focus on getting better, alright?"

Gon grinned, and nodded. "Of course! Be careful!"

Killua smiled in response and headed out of the room while Gon assumed a meditative pose on the bed, focusing on _ten_. Since Wing had banned him from practicing _nen_, Gon spent all day cooped up in his room. Killua normally stayed with him, but today was different.

He had planned to take the elevator downstairs, but on the way there, caught sight of a figure in a black _haori_ down the hall from the corner of his eye. He snapped his head to the right to stare straight down the hallway, but she was already turning the corner. Killua took a deep breath and fell into pursuit, his footsteps quiet as he stayed behind her. He rounded the corner to see her sauntering down the hall hands in her pockets as she checked the door numbers she passed by. Was she looking for them?

He ducked behind the corner, not daring to follow her down a hallway. That was dangerous. In a hallway, there was only one path; if he needed to escape, he could only move forward or backward. He didn't think he could go through her, and he didn't think he could escape her, but at the same time, he wanted to know what the hell she was doing. He peered around the corner again to see her turn around the next one.

He took a breath and glided through the hallway to the next corner, shifting his body so that he could gaze around the corner. But the hallway was empty. Killua blinked. Was he just imagining things? He just saw Jun turn the corner!

"Uwah, you're good," said a voice behind him, and Killua nearly leapt ten feet into the air. He exploded backwards, away from the voice, and took a stance. Jun was standing right behind him, hands on her hips. What the hell? She had to have gone around the whole tower to end up behind him! "Did you need something from me? I can only assume that's why you were following me."

Killua's hand slid to his pocket, where he kept his knife. If he moved fast enough, he could surprise her, and use that one second to try to escape—

"Oh, hidden blades," she commented, smiling, pointing at his pocket. Killua froze. From behind her back, hidden by her oversized _haori_, Jun pulled out a short sword in a wooden sheath. "This one's my favorite, I call him Jack, as in the One-Eyed Jack, like the playing card. I use it to stab people's eyeballs." Her nonchalant tone took Killua by surprise. She unsheathed her sword to show him a shiny metal blade. It was only about a foot long but Killua could already tell it could cut through layers of steel.

Killua didn't say a word, his eyes darting from her face, to the blade in her hand. Left hand! The woman was left handed. That means that if he moved to her right, he may be able to get past her—

"Now you're thinking that I'm left handed, so if you move to my right," she pointed to her right side, "you'll be able to make it past me because it'll take me a fraction of a second to catch you, since that's my weak side. You're fast, and you're young, so you have good reflexes. You'd draw your knife, and try to slash at me from the right, but I'd dodge like this," she said, and spun around slowly as though showing the effect, tossing the sword from her left hand to her right, "and as you realized that I'm _actually_ right handed, I'd thrust like _shoooom_," she performed the motion with the sound effect, shooting her arm forward in the direction Killua would have been had he moved, "and you'd dodge, and I'd slice your cheek open. With my arm still out when you hit the ground, the only opening would be up, so you could stab upward; you'd probably be able to stick your knife in my arm if you threw it as hard as you could. But instead of attacking, you could use that time to run."

Jun resumed a natural stance, tapping her nose with her finger. "I've already pressed the button on the elevator. If you wanted to run, then by the time you get there, the doors will open and you can use _zetsu_ and escape the tower. I won't bother finding you. Scout's honor," she said, shrugging. She smiled at Killua. "You can't hesitate. Which will you choose?" she asked him, her eyes sparkling a midnight blue. "Are you going to fight me, or are you going to run?"

Killua focused on breathing. The air was thick, suffocating. The feeling was so familiar, it burned in his chest and set his lungs aflame. Simply being in the same vicinity as this woman was making it hard to stay standing.

Jun pouted, passing her sword back to her left hand. "I haven't fought in a while, but I think twenty percent of my strength should be enough for you to keep up. Are you ready?"

Before Jun could get in another word, Killua dove at her right side, whipping out his knife. She spun just like she said she would, tossing her sword to her right hand and thrusting her arm out at Killua. Killua dodge by a hair, the speed of the blade whizzing by enough to break the skin on his cheekbone. Her arm was extended over him as he hit the floor. One second. He had less than one second to decide what to do. He seemed to see her arm move down in slow motion, ready to slash him in two, and instinctively threw his knife to stop her.

The blade sunk into her upper arm, and Killua froze, weaponless, ready to meet his death.

"Wonderful!" she exclaimed, smiling. She sheathed her sword before plucking the knife from her arm. She wiped the knife on her _haori_ and tossed it back to Killua. "You answered correctly!"

"You're not going to kill me," Killua said, as more of a statement than a question, the first time he had spoken to her during this whole ordeal. He wasn't quite sure what had happened, but the air suddenly relaxed. He no longer felt like his life was in danger. She had the power to change the tension of the air just like that. She was truly a terrifying woman.

"If you ran, I was going to kill you. That would've been my wrong answer, and your death wouldn't have been a pretty one," she said her arm bleeding all over her _haori_. It was like she had forgotten the injury was there. "But I like you. You remind me of myself. I'll see you around, okay? Be sure not to die, little one."

Killua bit down on his lip as she walked past him, her _haori _floating behind her. She seemed completely done with the task at hand, like the fun had ended for her the moment the knife had sunk into her arm.

"Killua," he said quietly, and she stopped, turning for a second. She seemed confused. "I didn't introduce myself earlier. My name is Killua."

Jun laughed, remembering. "Sekihara Jun."

"What would you do?" Killua asked before she could leave. "Attack or run? What would you have done?"

She smiled and shrugged. "Who knows? The right answer is different for everyone. While fighting me was the right answer today, it may have been the wrong one yesterday. It's a matter of knowing what the answer is before the question is asked. Do you know what I mean?"

"No," Killua answered flatly, to which Jun just laughed. "Well, whatever your answer was, I'm guessing you gave the right one. You lived, after all."

Her smile broadened. He had perceived that she had been faced with the same decision many years ago. To fight or run. "I did."

"Did you fight or run?" he asked, and she shrugged again, avoiding the question. He deduced she didn't like talking about the past, but couldn't help but ask another question anyway. He felt like Gon's general naivete would have come in handy in this situation. "Well, did you kill him then?"

"Who?"

"Whoever gave you that choice."

"Nope," she said simply, shrugging as though she didn't really care. "Maybe I will one day."

Killua scoffed. He wasn't going to get anywhere with her. "And maybe I'll kill _you_ one day."

Jun turned back around, heading down the hallway, her hands stuffed in her pockets, a small smile on the corner of her lips. "Looking forward to it."


	4. Chapter 4: Trading Secrets

_"Okay, so you can put down the two now," Jin'ai said, reaching over and pulling down a two of clubs from Jun's hand. He placed it over his three. "So, it's like chronological order. And when you get rid of all your cards," he placed down his last card, an ace of spades, "then you win!"_

_ "Oh, I see," Jun said, tying up her short hair the best she could. Some loose strands fell out into her face and she gathered the dir__ty, bent cards again, grinning at her brother. "Okay, I get it now. Let's play again!"_

_ Jin'ai smiled and nodded, brushing back his dark hair. He was a few years older than his sister, but she always seemed to be the one to take care of him. He sat up and arched his back, stretching out. Her head snapped up, alarmed. _

_ "Jin'ai, are you okay?" she asked, hopping off the rusted metal chair. "Do you want to go outside?"_

_ "Oh, no, it's okay, I was just stretching, Jun-chan," he said, holding out his hand as though to try to calm her down. It never seemed to work. Jun frowned, her brows furrowed in concern._

_ "Do you want to walk around the building?" she asked, fidgeting with her fingers. _

_ "Sure," Jin'ai agreed, knowing that she wasn't going to let it go unless he let her do what she wanted. She smiled and galloped around to his side of the table, kicking in the locks to his wheelchair before whirling him around and pushing him out the door._

* * *

"Jun-chan," called a sing-song voice, and Jun snapped back to reality. She turned towards the source of the voice, Hisoka having returned for the night.

"Hi," she greeted, sitting up. She'd been laying on her bed staring at the ceiling since she had met with Killua. She'd gotten lunch and gone back to her room alone to eat it, and had been lying on her bed ever since. She clicked her phone to check the time. It was past midnight. She'd been here for ten hours; the day had simply come and gone without her even realizing it.

"What did you do today?" he asked, and she had to blink a few times before realizing that he had asked about her day. He had never done that before.

"Nothing," she answered.

"Really?"

"I wish I had something interesting to tell you. I sat here for ten hours."

Hisoka chuckled, having known that she did have a tendency to enter meditative states in which she'd space out about nothing at all. Ten hours was nothing to her; she had so much time on her own with nothing to do. He wasn't surprised that she was always so bored.

He pointed a long finger at her arm, tied in a bandage. "Looks like you had a little fun, though."

"Oh, right," she said, looking down at her arm. She had forgotten she had been injured today. After all, it didn't hurt. "I guess you can say that."

"Someone actually injured my cute Jun-chan. Who'd you fight?" he asked, pulling off his shirt and tossing it on the ground.

"Secret."

Hisoka was quick to catch her chin in his fingers, tilting her head up so she would look at him. He squeezed her cheeks tightly but she didn't feel anything, staring up at him with big blue eyes. He smirked as she didn't seem the least bit surprised at all. "You keep secrets from me, Jun-chan?"

"You keep secrets from me," she countered, poking his hand with her finger. She was always so unafraid. It used to bother him, but now, he was used to it. It had been long since she had felt fear; she had done everything within her power to forget the feeling. One day, Hisoka was going to do everything within is power to make her remember. "Let's trade. If you tell me one, I'll tell you."

Hisoka smirked, releasing her face. He pushed her down onto the bed gently, uninterested. "Pass."

"Uwah, too bad," she said as he climbed on top of her. She lifted her hands and gently traced over his collar bones and the outlines of his muscles on his chest. She moved to his arms, running her thin finger over his biceps and the rings around his arms, so fascinated, so curious.

"What are you doing?" Hisoka asked when she returned to his collarbones. She looked up at him as though realizing for the first time that he was there.

"Oh, sorry," she said, smiling sheepishly. "I don't really know. I just wanted to touch. I couldn't help it. It's like marble. You're like a statue."

He licked his lips. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"I meant it as one, "she said as he lifted her arms to pull her shirt off over her head. Sex with Hisoka was never bad. There wasn't ever a time in the five years that they had been doing this that Jun wished it would end, or wished to be doing something else, even though while he was here, they slept together nearly every night.

It wasn't boring. His hands never left any bit of her untouched, unsatisfied, and always sent little fireworks exploding in her eyes. His touch was like the heat of a flame, setting fire to wherever he touched. He always made sure she was completely satisfied and never did anything against her will. She didn't mind his occasional roughness; it made everything much more fun anyway. She was used to this relationship, even if she wasn't sure what kind of relationship it was.

Afterwards, Jun just laid there, trying to get her vision to focus by blinking rapidly at the ceiling as Hisoka rolled off her onto the bed. He propped himself up with his elbow, resting his chin in his hand, watching her move her hair out of her face as she steadied her breathing.

"Are you alright, Jun-chan?" he teased.

She turned to him and stuck her tongue out cutely, to which Hisoka simply chuckled. She sat up for a bit, reaching over the side of the bed to swipe up her hair clip. She swirled her hair up and plucked his shirt up off the ground, pulling it over her head. She tossed the blanket over the both of them.

"What'd you do today?" Jun asked, remembering that Hisoka had asked her. She was returning the favor. She was actually curious.

"Nothing in particular," Hisoka told her. "But I did have a delicious cupcake from that new patisserie down the road."

Jun laughed. "Was it a strawberry cupcake?"

"You know me so well," Hisoka said, and Jun smiled, taking his statement as a compliment. "It was strawberry shortcake. You should try it sometime."

"Maybe I'll go tomorrow and buy one," Jun said, thinking aloud. Hisoka was half expecting her to ask if he wanted to go with her. He thought that maybe, he would have said yes and gone with her, as that did sound a little fun, but then, he thought that maybe he'd say no and agitate her. But she never asked, so he didn't worry about it. "Did you do anything else today?"

Hisoka hummed, thinking of something to tell her. "I did receive a challenge to fight."

Jun gasped, sitting up with a smile across her face. "You did? From who? Did you accept?"

"I know you're absolutely enamored by my fights, Jun-chan, but I haven't accepted yet," Hisoka teased. Jun made a face.

"Why? I haven't seen you fight in so long."

"Ditto," he told her. He shrugged. "If I feel like it, I'll accept the fight. We'll see how I feel in a few days."

"Ughhhh, why won't you accept it? Who's it from? Is it someone interesting?"

"Secret," Hisoka told her, pressing his finger to his lips to emphasize, and Jun sighed, plopping back into bed. She didn't push further, so Hisoka decided to change the subject back to something he wanted to know. "So, Jun-chan, you're really not going to tell me who gave you that cut?" Hisoka asked, using a hand to brush the hair from his face. He gestured at her arm again, as she looked like she had once again, forgotten that the injury was there. Jun shook her head.

"You tell me something cool beans, and I'll tell you."

Hisoka decided to humor her. She would be persistent, and Hisoka was curious. This way, they would both get a win. "I found new prey," he said, licking his lips. "About a month ago. From the hunter exam."

"Oh yeah?" she asked, her eyes widening in curiosity.

He nodded once. "Interesting new prey."

"Oh, me too," she said with a grin. "Found 'prey', I mean. Not from the hunter exam, since mine was like, two years ago, but new prey nonetheless."

Hisoka was actually a little surprised. It had been some time since Jun had last liked something. 'Liking' was perhaps an extreme understatement; no one _liked_ things the way Sekihara Jun did. She became _obsessed_ with things. "Is your new toy more interesting than me?"

"Who knows?" Hisoka said, rolling onto his back with a shrug.

She sat up at this, puffing her cheeks out in frustration. "The right answer was no!"

Hisoka chuckled. That was what he had been hoping for; a little agitation on her end to get her going. He wasn't only waiting for Gon, after all. "Well, I haven't seen you fight in a while, Jun-chan, so it's easy for me to forget how interesting you are when you don't even try to impress me."

"Ugh, but I don't like fighting,"she argued, her brows furrowing in frustration. "Oh, yeah," she said, as though realizing something, and as quick as lightning, shot her fist out. Hisoka managed to just dodge it by tilting his head back a little into the bed, her hand mere centimeters away from his face. He definitely hadn't been expecting that. "I forgot about our deal," she said, smiling as she poked his forehead. "Does that count? Are you impressed?"

Hisoka placed his hand on hers, moving it away from his face. "Sure," he agreed. "One point for the element of surprise. You are _so_ very interesting, Jun-chan."

His sarcasm seemed to please her and she grinned, lying back down in bed. She curled up under the blankets, looking up at him. "So, your new less-interesting-than-me prey?"

"What about it?" Hisoka asked, sitting up. He pulled the blanket over his waist and rolled his shoulders back, stretching out. He plucked his shirt from the ground nearby and tossed it to Jun. He did like seeing her in his clothes; she looked cuter than usual.

"You gonna tell me more?" she asked as she wormed into the shirt, popping her head out of the collar without question.

"Why do you want to know?"

Jun shrugged. "I don't know. Someone's interesting to you. Maybe they'd be interesting to me, too."

Hisoka shot her a look out of the corner of his eye, his amber pupils locking with hers. The air suddenly felt sharper. "Don't even think about it, Jun-chan."

"Uwah, scary," she commented, pulling the sheets over her head for emphasis as she giggled. She seemed ready to drop the subject, to which Hisoka figured. She wasn't curious about whoever it was Hisoka was interested in because she had one of her own. Jun wrapped the sheets around her face like a hood, holding it under her chin. She smiled sweetly. "Can I have my kiss now?"

"You want to use your precious point so early?" Hisoka asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Now that you've reminded me about our little deal, it won't be so easy to earn another point for some time. You're going to have to really impress me next time, Jun-chan."

"I can do it," she answered confidently, nodding as she pumped her fist cutely. "I can get another kiss later. Trust me."

"You've been so ambitious with me lately, Jun-chan," Hisoka commented. "I'd like to see you back it up."

Jun stuck her tongue out playfully in response, and Hisoka flicked his fingers, beckoning for her to come closer. She wiggled over, and in one motion, he swung her on top of him, strands of her dark hair falling onto his face. He brushed her hair back and she lowered her face, meeting his lips. Their kiss was softer this time, gentle, almost cautious. It was nothing like the last time, save for the bolt of electricity rocketing down Jun's spine. Their lips moved together until Hisoka pulled back, putting his hand on Jun's neck to push her back. He didn't want to spoil her just yet.

He licked his lips, his amber eyes flicking over Jun's kiss-swollen lips. He could devour her all over again. But once again, he resisted. Hisoka could have her whenever he wanted.

Jun seemed satisfied and rolled out of his grasp and off him, plopping down on the bed. She touched her lips, seeming to be thinking. "I like that one better than the other day's one. It was nice," she said. "There are different kinds of kisses, huh?"

"I suppose," Hisoka answered, not quite sure how to answer. He propped himself up on one hand, raising an eyebrow, interested. "Hold on, Jun-chan. You're not telling me that your first kiss was the one we had the other day, are you?"

She blinked a few times. "Oh, is that weird?"

"You've never kissed another man?" he asked. "Ever?"

She shook her head and shrugged at the same time. "No," she answered. "I've never really felt like I needed to."

Hisoka needed to phrase the next question carefully, using his most neutral tone of voice. "So, you've never slept with anyone else either?"

Jun hummed, averting eye contact and hiding under the blanket. Hisoka blinked. That was not the answer he had been expecting. He opened his mouth to say something, his hand out and ready to snatch her chin and maybe crush her jaw, but before he could do anything, she popped back out from under the blanket. "Nope!" she said, grinning.

Hisoka paused. "Jun-chan?"

"I haven't slept with anyone else, silly," she said, sticking her tongue out. When Hisoka didn't say anything, a look of panic flashed in Jun's blue eyes. "Is that weird?"

Hisoka knew that she asked these things simply because she didn't know any better. He actually found it quite adorable. She had been so pure and he was the one – the _only one_ – who had dirtied her. It actually made her that much more delicious.

"It's not weird," he told her, though he wasn't sure if that was the right answer or not. She was here alone for extended periods of time. After sleeping with him for so many nights in a row, he figured that she needed some companionship eventually. Did she really…wait for him?

"Oh, okay," she said, shrugging. She giggled, sticking her tongue out. "You should feel special. You're my one and only."

"You are my princess, Jun-chan," Hisoka agreed, a thin smile pulling at his lips. He owned her completely. It was an exhilarating feeling. "If any other man put his hands on what is mine, I will have no choice but to kill him. You've saved lives, Jun-chan. You should be happy."

"I am," Jun laughed. "Oh, I almost forgot to ask. We're still trading secrets, right?"

Is that what she thought this was? "Sure," Hisoka told her.

"Okay. Am I _really_ your princess?"

"I just said so. Try to listen, Jun-chan."

"No, I mean, do you sleep with anyone else when you're away?"

"Of course not."

Jun smiled, believing him without question. "Oh, cool," she said, her voice gleaming with happiness. Hisoka was often surprised at how she could simply believe anything he said. "You know, I don't think things should change at all. I like the way things are with us."

"As do I," Hisoka told her. "We had this conversation the other day, princess."

"I just felt like telling you again," she said with a shrug. She smiled at him. "And just Jun is fine."

* * *

Jun woke up to an empty bed. It was always the same. She thought that she should, perhaps, be distraught that after her nights with Hisoka, he always left her alone, but he mind didn't allow her to feel that emptiness. So it never did bother her. Besides, their relationship wasn't like that. She never expected to wake up in the morning and find Hisoka in the kitchen making her waffles. It would be strange. They didn't cuddle, their kissing was on a point-basis; the relationship was strictly physical, and that's how Jun wanted it to stay. Anything else would be too complicated. Right?

Jun never had a problem with it. She figured all relationships were like this, as she had never really seen or experienced any other sort of relationship with any other man. Hisoka, strangely enough, really was her one and only.

She sat up, running a hand through her hair. She placed her hand where Hisoka should have been, her fingers sifting through cold sheets. He had left a long time ago. Jun reached over to her nightstand, plucking her phone from the wooden table. One received message.

"_Keep out of trouble! I'll be away for a few days. I'll call you when I come back_. _No more late night sexcapades,_" Jun said aloud, reading Machi's text. She smiled, punched in a quick reply before resting her phone back on the table.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, arching her back and stretching out. Hisoka's shirt was actually comfortable. She blew the hair out of her face, staring out the windows. The entire wall was glass; she could see over the whole town from the 235th floor. Everything looked so small. But it didn't make Jun feel any bigger.

She took a deep breath, letting her _nen_ surround her and calm her down. Negative emotions. That was something she couldn't afford. She stood up, rolling back her shoulder blades, and went through her morning routine, plucking up strewn clothes along the floor, taking a shower, getting dressed, and slinging a _haori_ over her shoulders. Today was a white fabric with blue cranes fluttering across her sleeves.

Lately, she'd begun to realize that there were so many things she wanted to ask Hisoka. She wondered if he'd even answer.

She was about to take a shower to kill some time, but her phone rang, exploding music from the nightstand. Jun plucked it up, checking the caller ID. It was blocked. She clicked it, and held it to her ear.

"_Osu_," she greeted, already knowing who it was.

"Jun, we have another job for you," said the voice on the other line.

"Uwah, Tan-san, really?" she asked sarcastically, shifting her body to pull Hisoka's top over her head. She was going to take that shower after all.

"We will pick you up shortly."

"Oh-kay," she sang, starting the shower. "Meet you downstairs," she added, and then hung up, placing her phone on the sink counter. Today was looking to be an interesting day.

* * *

Hisoka always wondered what Jun did. She didn't like fighting, and didn't particularly have any hobbies. She spent time with Machi every now and then, but Machi was a busy woman as well. Besides, Hisoka had a feeling that Machi limited her time with Jun for a reason. Given Jun's attention span, he figured that the reason why Machi and Jun remained on speaking terms for so long was because of Machi's careful pacing with the time they spent together. She didn't want Jun to get bored.

Hisoka wondered what his princess did when he was away. He decided to find out.

Jun left the building, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her oversized _haori_, her hair swung up as usual. He actually found her cute today, the white _haori _she'd chosen today with those blue highlights brought out her eyes. He found her black _haori _quite off putting, and preferred to see her in bright colors. Maybe he'd tell her this later tonight.

He had been using _zetsu_ for hours now, waiting for her to leave. He knew that she didn't search for him anyway, but if she felt his _nen _anywhere near her during the day, there was no telling what she would do. He followed far behind as she weaved through crowds of people on the street, not seeming to be going anywhere. Hisoka was wondering if he was wasting his time. Did she just walk around aimlessly until the sun set?

A black car pulled over, windows completely tinted, catching Hisoka's eye. He saw Jun stop at the curb, and thought she was just being curious as she normally was, but then she entered the backseat of the car without so much as a word.

A small smile tugged at his thin lips. This woman held more secrets than he thought.


	5. Chapter 5: New Challenger Approaching

"Sekihara Jun," greeted a man in the car. He was dressed in a crisp black suit and tie. His dark hair was brushed back, a black eye patch over his right eye, hints of scars peeking out from under it.

"Just Jun is fine," she reminded him, reaching out her hand to touch his eye. He moved her hand away with a frown. Jun pouted, pushing her upper lip out and tapping her nose. "Aw, come on, Tan-san, let me touch the eyeball."

"There is no eyeball," he told her. "You cut it out."

"Oh, right, that was me," she said with a grin. She leaned back into the leather seats, gazing out the window as though she were taking a tour of the city. Tanaka Shin waited for her attention span to return. She was often spacey and he understood that there was a right way to handle her. It was why he always had to deal with Jun; too many of his men had died trying to negotiate with her. And, as he had been a judge for several of her fights in the arena, she knew him, to an extent, and was less likely to kill him, as he always let her have her way in the ring.

"Jun," Tanaka said, and Jun seemed to remember he was there. She turned to him with a smile.

"What?"

"Your job," he said, handing her a folder. She opened it, scanned over the black and white photo before closing it again. "Have it done as soon as possible."

"What'd he do?" she asked.

"Read the file."

Instantly, she tore it up, tossing it in the air like confetti. Her electric blue eyes landed on him. "I'm asking _you_."

"_Jun_," Tanaka snapped, as though scolding a young child. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as she just smiled. "He is stealing a large amount of money from profit we make for himself," he explained. "We are not the type to overlook this sort of predicament. Your job is to take the money back and kill him."

"I figured that last part," she said, shrugging. She plucked up a piece of paper, the eyes of the man she was supposed to kill. She looked back to Tanaka. "Do you have my reward yet?"

"We are still working on finding information, Jun," Tanaka reminded her.

A tiny frown tugged at Jun's lips. "Tan-san, you're supposed to be information brokers. I've been waiting for a long time."

"I know, and I'm asking you to wait a little longer," Tanaka told her. "We can compensate you with money—"

"Dammit, Tanaka," snapped a voice from the front of the car, and an older man whirled around from the passenger seat. "Will you quit babying her?" He turned to Jun, his salt-and-pepper hair askew, who was already staring at him with those blue eyes of her, a storm brewing. "You listen here, Sekihara Jun, you'll do as we say. _You_ work for _us_, and you _will _do the job we tell you to do on the terms that we agreed upon. Do you understand?"

"Uwah, you really think I work for _you_?" she asked, smiling. "It would take me a total of nine seconds to slit all your throats and pry that suitcase with all your contacts from your cold, dead body, Lancaster."

Tanaka held in a sigh. This was why he preferred to handle Jun. Anyone else would become annoyed with her childish behavior; Tanaka was just used to it. "Jun—"

"Shh," Jun said, turning to him. "I'm talking, Tan-san." Jun turned back to the older man, Lancaster Yuu. After a quick glance in Jun's eyes, Tanaka decided to just listen. There was no negotiating when her eyes beginning to lose color. While he knew there were conditions to her ability, he also knew that she was resisting killing all of them and he didn't want to push her over the edge. "You're lucky that I believe in working for reward. Otherwise you would be dead. You underestimate me, don't you? That makes me really unhappy."

Lancaster wasn't backing down. He had taken too much of Sekihara Jun's insubordination. "If you don't do your job, Sekihara, then you'll never get your reward. The longer you take to complete your task, the later you'll receive your fucking reward and your brother may already be dead by the time you receive his location—"

"If I find out that _Onii-_chan is already dead, then I'm going to come back and violently slaughter every single one of you. They won't even be able to find your bones," she said. There was nothing menacing about her tone at all, but Tanaka could sense the sincerity in her voice. It was thick, heavy, suffocating; like they were drowning and she was the anchor tied to their feet. She smiled at the driver. "Driver-chan, you can let me off here," she said, and he pulled over immediately. He knew that she had been counting him in the nine seconds she'd need to kill everyone in the car.

"Jun," Tanaka said, handing her a glass of water. She poured it over her head and took a breath like she had just come up for air. She flicked the wet hair from her face, and blinked a few times, smiling at Tanaka with those big blue eyes of hers.

"I'll do the job," she told Tanaka, pushing open the door. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood." She stepped out, but turned back for Lancaster. "Next time, Lancaster, watch what you say. Or else I'll cut out your tongue and shove it down your throat." She offered Tanaka a smile. She did like him, after all. He was always so nice to her. "Until next time, Tan-san."

He nodded. "Looking forward to it."

* * *

Hisoka watched Jun emerge from the car a few blocks later. The car ride had been short. He debated chasing that car down himself and finding out what exactly had unfolded within, but he decided against it. Trying to pry the information from her would prove to be more fun.

Even from a distance, he could tell that something interesting had happened. Her hair was drenched, and her clothes were splattered with water. Hisoka knew that Jun had a tendency to…change sometimes. When there was a time she was especially annoyed, or even angry, he noticed that the color in her eyes and the way she spoke changed. He had discovered the water solution on accident, and learned that water tended to dissolve the darker personality that seemed to emerge when she was feeling especially emotional. He never did ask her why, but he used it when he needed to. It seemed like other people had figured out the same thing, as she'd already been disarmed today.

He would definitely follow her closely.

* * *

Jun took a deep breath. She had just showered and made herself up nicely only to have ruined it. She sighed, releasing all the air pent up in her lungs. Work was work. It was the reason she was here. It was the reason she lived.

A few people glanced at her as she headed down the street, as she looked like she'd stuck her head in a shower, but she didn't care. "Oh, Sekihara-san," said a voice, and Jun turned.

"Just Jun is fine," she said instinctively, and was greeted by a man with long silver hair. He was dressed in an orange scarf and a white long sleeve shirt and dark jeans.

She definitely knew who this man was. She recognized his face, vaguely, even if he wasn't in the clothes he wore while fighting in the arena. The arena! That's how she knew him. He definitely fought in the arena, but she wasn't sure if she'd seen it live or on TV. Had he won or had he lost? What was his _nen_ ability again? She couldn't even put a finger on his name.

"Oh, hi," she greeted, offering a smile.

"It's great running into you, Sekihara-san," he said, smiling at her. Jun thought he could be on a toothpaste commercial. He had a charming smile.

"Just Jun is fine," she told him again. She wanted to avoid using his name. What was it anyway?

He chuckled. "Alright, Jun. Well, how are you doing?" he asked. "I haven't heard of any matches of yours."

"Oh, um, good, I guess. And I haven't fought since last year. It's pretty boring, so I'd like to avoid it," she said. She wasn't used to conversation with people that weren't Hisoka or Machi. What was it like to talk to a normal person? "And yourself?"

The man opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a high pitched voice. "Kastro-san, can I have your autograph?" asked a woman, skipping up to him in a short skirt. He didn't seem surprised, and agreed without question, and, right in the middle of the street, proceeded to sign a picture of himself. Jun had a million things to say about that, but instead, she decided to defer her energy into remembering his name.

But even with his name, a memory wasn't triggered. Maybe they'd spoken a few times before, but Jun didn't remember anything significant. She only tended to remember the names of people who were particularly interesting. Kastro bade farewell to the now-ecstatic fan girl before turning back to Jun, offering a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, Jun. Anyway, it's great I ran into you. I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out sometime."

"Go out?" she asked, genuinely confused. "Aren't we out now?"

He chuckled, nodding. "Yes, we are, but I meant to ask if you wanted to have lunch and spend time together."

"Oh," she said contemplatively, tapping her nose. Kastro didn't falter, as he seemed to know that she hadn't rejected him yet. No man had ever asked Jun to 'have lunch and spend time together' before, not even Hisoka, so she wasn't sure what to do. "Why?"

Kastro smiled. "Well, I've always admired you as a fighter, and as a woman, I find you quite beautiful," he explained, not seeming to be ashamed. "I'm back in town for a fight, actually, and I'd really like to spend some time getting to know you. Since I am not yet a floormaster, it has proven impossible for me to go upstairs and ask you while in the tower, which was why I'm actually glad to have seen you out here."

"Oh," she said, and smiled, shrugging. Beautiful? That was a good word, right? Jun wondered why she didn't particularly care that he had called her such a nice thing. She wondered what it would feel like if that adjective spilled from Hisoka's lips, and if he'd said it to her. Would it feel better than just now? "Sure, I guess. Lunch sounds good."

Kastro smiled again, walking at her side. "Wonderful. Where would you like to eat?"

"Anywhere is fine," Jun said, honestly not caring. She was hungry, and she assumed she wasn't going to be paying.

"How about here?" Kastro asked as they passed a posh looking restaurant. The building was completely made of glass and steel, and rose for several stories. Through the glass, Jun could see that the people dining within were dressed to the dime, even if it was only lunch time. Jun had never come here before; she didn't care for gourmet food.

But then again, she wasn't paying. "Sure."

"Kastro-sama, welcome," greeted the hostess as soon as they entered through the glass doors.

"Do you have a table for two?" he asked, holding up his fingers for emphasis. The hosts didn't even need to check their books before nodding, and leading them across the restaurant and up the steel stairs.

Jun felt incredibly under dressed. She hadn't dried off very much, and she was here in a fancy restaurant in an oversized _haori,_ high waisted shorts and a bandeau. She was probably showing more skin than everyone in the restaurant combined.

But Sekihara Jun was never the type to care. The approached an empty table and Kastro pulled out the chair, gesturing towards it. She paused for a moment. No one had ever done this for her before. "Did you want to sit, Jun?" Kastro asked after Jun had been standing there for a while.

"Oh, yeah," she said, plopping down into the chair. Kastro pushed it in and sat across her as the hosts left their menus on the table.

"May I take your coat, Sekihara-sama?" asked the host. So they did know her.

Jun was about to take off her _haori_, but then changed her mind, pulling it back on quickly. Without a proper shirt, the scar on her back would be completely visible. She knew the likelihood of Hisoka finding out about this was extremely low, but she knew that even if it was 1%, he would find out somehow. She did not want to make him unhappy with her.

"I'm fine," she told the host, who nodded and then strutted away, completely robotic.

"So, Jun," Kastro started, folding his hands on the table and offering her a smile. "Won't you tell me about yourself?"

"Why?" she asked, once again confused by this man's behavior. Hisoka never asked to hear about herself. What was she supposed to say? "I don't' think I'm particularly interesting to normal people."

"Nonsense," Kastro told her, not sure what she meant by that. "I'm sure that you have so many stories to tell."

"I don't," Jun assured him. She seemed troubled, so Kastro decided to talk about something else. All the stuff he'd said earlier to her, he hadn't been lying. She was pretty, and he did admire her strength. He just always wondered why she always seemed alone and he thought that maybe, he would be able to get her to open up a little.

"How about you choose our wine?" he asked, pushing over the drink menu. "Which would you like?"

"I don't drink wine often," she said, but picked up the menu anyway, glancing over the letters. "Or, well, I haven't tried it before, so I'm not really sure what I like."

"Sake, then?"

"I haven't drank that either," she told him, flipping over the menu. She smiled sheepishly. "See? I'm pretty boring."

Kastro chuckled, shaking his head. "Just because you don't drink alcohol doesn't mean you're boring, Jun. Just order whatever you'd like to drink."

A waiter came over, and Jun pointed to the menu. "This pink thing," she said.

"I'll just have a glass of white wine, thank you," Kastro ordered, and the waiter took their menus. Kastro opened his mouth to speak, but Jun beat him to the punch.

"So you're in town for a fight?" she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Kastro smiled, and nodded. She truly was a warrior at heart. "Yes, I am."

"How many wins do you have?"

"Nine."

"Uwah," she cooed, seeming impressed. "If you win, then you can challenge a floormaster."

"That's correct," he told her. "But I don't plan to right away."

"Are you going to challenge me?" she asked, tapping her nose.

Kastro chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't plan to."

She grinned. "Wonderful. I don't like fighting. And you seem like a nice person. I'd hate to have to kill you," she said, and Kastro, not knowing what else to do, continued smiling. "So, who are you fighting?"

"Will you come to watch?" Kastro asked.

"Well, it depends who you're fighting," she countered, smiling as the waiter brought over Kastro's wine, and Jun's strawberry daiquiri. She placed her lips on the straw, taking a sip from it. She held the liquid in her mouth for a while, tasting it, before her eyes brightened and she seemed to realize that she liked it. She brought the drink closer to her so she could drink and talk.

Kastro laughed. "How about you come to my match and see for yourself."

"You think it'll be boring?"

"I think it'll be fatal."

Kastro saw a fire light up in her eyes at that, and she nodded. "I'll be there, then. When is it?"

"Well, it hasn't been confirmed yet, I haven't received a response. But if I know him, it'll definitely happen. I'll be sure to let you know," he said. "Speaking of which, I think I'll need your phone number to contact you should my match be confirmed. And to give you free tickets, of course."

"Oh, sure," she said, pulling out her phone as Kastro did the same. They held their phones together and a beep let them know their contact information had been transferred.

Kastro was quite proud of himself. That had been a lot easier than he thought. "I'll be looking forward to you cheering me on."

Jun smiled. "Ditto," she replied, taking a long sip from her daiquiri. She finished it off, blinking her eyes several times, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by alcohol. She hadn't really drank before, other than the occasional glass of champagne – Hisoka tended to like something called Cristal – but even then, she didn't ever finish her glass.

"Are you alright?" Kastro asked, his voice colored with concern.

"Yeah," she told him, offering him a smile.

"Are you ready to order?" asked the waiter, returning with a notepad, and a refill on Jun's drink. She figured they were pretty attentive waiters and didn't bother asking about it. But she realized she hadn't gone through the menu, and she'd never been anywhere that doesn't serve French fries and ice cream, so she had no idea what to eat. It was why she didn't care for gourmet dining.

"Yes," Kastro answered before Jun had time to answer.

"Oh, um, what are you eating?" she asked, holding up the menu, skimming for something she'd like to eat. She hadn't even glanced at the menu.

"Don't worry about it," Kastro told her, and proceeded to order for the both of them. Jun figured that he must have come here often. She'd never had someone order for her before. Did that mean that he could tell what she liked to eat?

The waiter pivoted and stalked off to deliver the ticket, and Kastro turned his attention back to Jun. "Thank you," Jun said politely. "You're very nice to me."

"Of course," Kastro said, offering her a charming smile. "You're a lovely woman, you must be treated this way all the time."

"Not really," she said, shrugging. "I don't really talk to other people."

Kastro knew that already. "But men must talk to you."

"Not true," she said again. "I only know one man, actually. Besides, you, I mean."

Kastro chuckled, trying to hide the fact that he was fishing for information. "Your boyfriend?"

Jun nearly choked on her daiquiri. Kastro let out a little sigh of relief, figuring that she was going to deny that this one other man was her boyfriend. Maybe it was a relative. "What's that?" she asked.

Kastro paused for a moment. "What's _what_?" he asked, confused. "A _boyfriend_?"

"Yeah," she said, sipping from her drink. "I mean, he is a boy and I suppose we are friends, sort of. Not really sure what that means, though. Does that count?"

Kastro's mind was beyond blown. He blinked a few times, trying to gather his thoughts, wondering if this woman truly was over the age of twenty. If she wasn't, he'd feel really creepy right about now. "Well, um, do you go on dates with this person? Like, spend time together?" he added, just to be sure.

"Not during the day," she said, tapping her nose. "He does things during the day."

"Do you have feelings for this person?" Kastro asked, not fully believing that he was coaching an adult about figuring out whether or not she had a boyfriend. Kastro wanted to be that one man special to her, but it seemed that perhaps he was too late.

"Well, it's nothing specific," Jun asked. "I don't hate him."

"Do you like him?"

"I guess."

Kastro exhaled. "So he's a friend, then."

"Yeah," she said, shrugging. "I guess. He's never said we were friends, but I think we are. I'm not sure. Should I ask?"

"Maybe that would be a good thing to do," Kastro said, and wondered why he had just said that. He was essentially giving her away to another man. Sekihara Jun was cute, but incredibly naïve. More so than he thought she was.

"He might get mad."

Yes! Kastro was quick to jump at the chance to take his words back. "Then, um, maybe it would be better not to ask."

Jun seemed to like the idea, and nodded, sipping from her drink. "Yeah, I think I'm not going to. If he got mad at me, I would be really upset. I hate making him mad at me."

Kastro was dying to know who this man was. Sekihara Jun was truly an interesting person. She had mood swings, she talked about killing people, she enjoyed fighting, and she was incredibly strong. She spaced out a lot, she had a lot of confidence, but at the same time, very low self-worth. She was extremely cute, but just as naïve, so much so, that anyone could take advantage of her if given the right keys. But yet, the man she was talking about seemed to be able to handle all of her, and keep her happy. The man who could accept Sekihara Jun for everything she was. Kastro wondered what kind of person this was.

But before he could ask, the waiter brought back their appetizers, two small plates of salad and a tray of sashimi to share. "It's almond miso dressing and the fish is otoro from the violet sea tuna, one of the rarest tuna in the world," he explained, smiling.

"Oh," was all Jun could say. She had never had any of this food before. "Thank you."

She picked up her chopsticks and forced herself to down the food. While it was delicious, and certainly tasted expensive, it wasn't particular to Jun's taste. She couldn't put a finger on why. Maybe it was because she wasn't really a fish person. But she just smiled at Kastro, who was being so nice to her, and ate the food on the table. After all, she wasn't paying.

The main course was brought over and Jun wasn't sure what it was. She knew that she couldn't eat it with chopsticks. "You look like a woman of exquisite taste, so I ordered for you veal and fresh porcini mushrooms," Kastro told her.

Jun had not eaten either of those things in her life. "Oh, thanks. What did you get?" she asked, gesturing to his food.

"Just a simple steak," he said, shrugging.

Jun actually would have rather eaten that, but for once, she didn't want to be rude. So once again, she ate the food in front of her, and wondered why Kastro hadn't just let her have a few more minutes so she could pick out her own meal.

Would Hisoka have been able to pick out food for her? Jun wondered what he would have chosen in this situation, and she wondered if she would have liked it.

"So, Jun," Kastro started, and Jun swallowed whatever veal was, and looked up. "Have you, uh, seen any fights recently?" He had thought back to their previous conversations and the only thing she seemed remotely interested in was when he talked about matches in the arena.

Jun seemed to think for a while, tapping her nose. "Not really. I saw my match against that Leviathan or something on TV the other day. Some bar was playing reruns of fights, I guess."

"Oh, I did see that match in person," Kastro said, happy to have her to speak.

"I don't really remember it very well," she said, shrugging. "But I don't remember people who bore me, so it doesn't really bother me."

Kastro chuckled a little. "I'm sure you'll get another fun match soon, right? It's been some time since you've been in the ring. A lot of fighters are gaining wins in the 200's."

"Yeah, but I don't like fighting," she said, taking another bite of her food. "It's always the same formula. People underestimate me, or think they can beat me for some reason. And then they end up dying. Right now, I only know two people that can kill me, and I actually want to build a third. That seems like more than enough."

"I'm curious to know who those people are," Kastro said.

Jun smiled. "It's a secret."

He laughed, waving her off. "I figured as much."

"I wish I could refuse matches sometimes," she said, finishing off her plate. "But if I did, I apparently lose my floor, and that would be bad. I'd hate to be homeless."

The rest of the conversation, Kastro found to be rather strained. Jun wasn't easy to talk to; he could feel that perhaps she felt uneasy, or didn't trust him, which he understood. He, too, was a fighter, and perhaps she thought they would fight one day and talking too much would have been her downfall. Or something like that. He found Sekihara Jun impossible to read.

Dessert was a shared ice cream sundae, to which Jun just ate the strawberry ice cream and the strawberries, leaving everything else for Kastro. "You like strawberries?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I guess. It's my friend's favorite thing."

Kastro took care of the bill and they left the restaurant without trouble. "Did you want to head out and shop or something?" Kastro asked. "Perhaps see a movie?"

"There is this place I wanted to go," Jun said, smiling as she pointed in the direction. Kastro returned her smile and followed, stopping at a patisserie a few blocks down.

"We just had dessert," Kastro said, a little confused. "Are you still hungry?"

"Oh, no," she said, shaking her head as he pushed open the door for her. "I just wanted to buy cupcakes and bring some back home for my boy person," she said and then paused, thinking aloud. "Man person? I don't know. He's older than me. Man person. Boy person?"

Kastro just didn't say anything and let her head to the cashier's. The place seemed new, colored in pastel pinks and yellows with swirly text on their menus. The workers were all dressed in frilly pink outfits. This didn't seem like somewhere Sekihara Jun would eat.

"Do you guys have a strawberry shortcake cupcake?" Jun asked the cashier, illustrating what a cupcake looked like with her hands, as though they didn't already know.

"Yes," the young girl behind the register said, gesturing to the glass display cases. Jun peered over to see a cute cupcake in a strawberry holder with pink frosting, and half a strawberry perched on top. She smiled.

"How many do you have left? Just those?" she asked, pointing to the twenty cupcakes in the case.

"Oh, we have some in the back that we're baking throughout the day," the girl explained. "We have about two hundred for today."

"I'll buy them all," Jun said immediately, smiling as she dug out crisp bills from her little bag.

The young girl seemed distressed, so Kastro decided it was time to step in. "Um, Jun, maybe not all two hundred of them," he suggested. Jun seemed confused, as though she were being perfectly rational for buying two hundred cupcakes in one sitting. "How would we carry them back to your room?"

"Oh," she said, as though seeing his point. "You're right." She turned back to the girl. "I'll pay double if you deliver them to my room on the 235th floor of Heaven's Arena."

In that moment, the girl seemed to realize who exactly was standing in front of her and paled like a ghost. Kastro stepped in again. "Jun, how about we buy maybe, like, five cupcakes?"

"But he likes these cupcakes," she said, frowning.

"Well, you don't want him to get tired of them, right?" Kastro asked. "If he has too much, he may get tired of the taste."

"So, they'll become boring?" she asked.

Kastro nodded. "Exactly. Things are good in small amounts."

Jun seemed to understand that logic. "Okay, five cupcakes, then," she told the girl, who looked relieved, taking the money from Jun. She packed them into a pastel pink box and handed it to Jun.

"Thank you," the girl said, and Jun just turned and left, practically skipping out of the store with her cupcakes in hand. Kastro just decided to follow; there wasn't anything he could do about the people watching them.

He cleared his throat when they were outside, and Jun glanced at him. "Did you want to go anywhere else?"

Jun shrugged. "Wherever you want to go, I guess," she said, not particularly caring. She tried to remember what he'd said earlier. She didn't really hang out with other people besides Machi, and Machi liked shopping. Jun thought that might work. "Did you want to go shopping?"

Kastro offered her a smile, and nodded, following her towards the shopping complex. The rest of the day was filled with a shopping excursion. Kastro had bought a few things for himself, new scarves, and shoes, and pants, and Jun found herself not minding waiting for him. Jun hadn't gone shopping for some time, so she burned through a lot of money buying a bags and bags of new clothes and accessories she knew she'd never wear.

"Let me carry those," Kastro offered, scooping the bag handles from her hands.

"Oh, it's fine," she said, but he had already taken all her bags. She just decided to let him carry them for her. Anything that had her doing less work was a good thing.

By the time they finished, they sky had long ago darkened. They'd gotten an evening snack at a small café, and Jun actually had a nice time. But throughout the day, she had been wishing that instead of Kastro, a certain red headed magician had been at her side instead.


	6. Chapter 6: Nice to Meet You

"Jun," called Kastro, and Jun shook her thoughts away.

"Oh, sorry, yes?" she said, and Kastro chuckled. She had been spacing out again.

"How about we head back?"

"Sure." She checked the time on her phone. It was almost nine at night. She had grown accustomed to Hisoka coming back to her room around midnight, give or take an hour. So, she had time to shower, clean up, and pack away all her new clothes before Hisoka came back. Jun hoped that he asked about her day today; she'd actually have a lot more to say. They'd be able to talk for longer. Just the thought of that brought a tiny smile to her face.

The lobby of the Heavens Arena still had a few people chatting or watching the last matches of the night on the big screen. Jun ignored them, as usual, automatically falling into _zetsu_ as she entered.

Kastro had been standing next to her the entire time, and he could see her, of course, but when she went into _zetsu_, he couldn't feel her. Normally, someone with such a strong wavelength of _nen _would have trouble disappearing into _zetsu_ with such a short time frame, but not Jun. He felt the moment she disappeared for just a second, but it was gone before he could even realize what it was. It took her walking beside him like a ghost for him to realize that it was she who disappeared. A shiver ran down his spine. This woman was truly a dangerous one.

"I'll help you carry these to your room," Kastro offered.

"Oh, thank you," she said, smiling as she entered her floor number and slid her ID through to verify that she was the floormaster. The elevator shot up and Kastro found himself thanking Jun's open personality. Perhaps, if he played his cards right, then he could make Sekihara Jun his.

On the 235th floor, Jun stepped out and Kastro followed. She lifted her hand to open the door to her room, but nearly leapt into the air when the door was pulled open from the inside.

"Jun-chan, welcome home," greeted her favorite voice. To Kastro, who had never seen Hisoka outside of his slicked, spiked hair and clown make up, Hisoka was dressed extremely casually. Kastro almost didn't recognize him. His hair was down, his normal star and tear paint was washed off, he wasn't wearing his arm, abdomen or leg rings, and his black shirt was slightly undone. Kastro was ready to engage Hisoka for intruding on the home of a floormaster, but Jun's voice interrupted him.

"Oh, you're home early," she said, tapping her nose.

Kastro was in complete disbelief. _This _was the person Jun had been talking about all day? Hisoka was the man Kastro had been dying to be?

"I wanted to hurry back to see you, but you were out," he said, feigning a frown. He patted Jun's head with a smile. "But you look very cute today, Jun-chan," he told her, and Jun lit up like a firework at New Year's.

"Really?"

"Of course. The blue on your coat makes your eyes pop" he told her, and Jun grinned like a kid on Christmas. He finally made eye contact with Kastro. "Is this your friend, Jun-chan?" His question was directed at Kastro, not Jun. Kastro hardened his gaze; he wouldn't falter in front of Hisoka.

"Oh, yeah, Hisoka, this is Kastro," she said, gesturing for emphasis. "He bought me lunch today and carried all my bags."

"Nice to meet you," Hisoka said, a smile tugging at his thin lips. Kastro glared. He was livid. Why was Hisoka pretending not to have known Kastro in front of Jun? Kastro had won a knockdown and three points off Hisoka; he was absolutely certain that Hisoka remembered him.

"I bought you cupcakes," Jun said, holding up the pink box. "The strawberry shortcake ones you liked. Five, so you won't get bored of the taste."

Hisoka smiled. "That's so thoughtful of you, Jun-chan," he praised, returning his attention to her. "Have you tried them yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Well, we could set up the table, have something to drink and eat the cupcakes together," he offered, and Jun's eyes widened. Hisoka smiled. "Does that sound like something you'd like to do?"

"Definitely!" she said, and Hisoka nodded towards the room behind him.

"I'll be right there," he promised, and Jun grinned.

"Thanks for today Kastro," she said briefly, not even making eye contact with him as she bowed shortly and disappeared inside the house. She'd even forgotten about her shopping bags.

Kastro opened his mouth to retort, but Hisoka beat him to the punch. "I accept."

"What?" was the most intelligent thing he could muster; he was still stunned by the scene that had unfolded before him. The man that was most important to Jun wasn't a family member, but _this_ psycho?

"You challenged me to a rematch, right? I accept," Hisoka repeated, running a hand through his red hair. Kastro knew there had to be some kind of smokes and mirrors, or some trick Hisoka was using to get an innocent woman like Jun.

"What you're doing with Jun isn't right," Kastro said firmly.

Hisoka chuckled. "What I'm _doing_ with Jun-chan?" He licked his lips. "You have _no idea_ what Jun-chan and I _do_ together."

Kastro clenched his teeth, his fists tightening. He wanted nothing more in the world to slam it into Hisoka's face.

"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Kastro, but I'm going to have to squash whatever hopes you had of bringing my princess to bed," Hisoka continued, taking Jun's shopping bags from his hands. He turned to leave but then paused, turning his head back ever so slightly. Kastro could see the amber glint in Hisoka's eyes shimmering with malice. "Stay away from Jun-chan. I don't like sharing."

With that, he proceeded into slamming the door in Kastro's face. He ran a hand through his hair, dropping Jun's bags to the floor before heading into the dining room where Jun was setting up the cupcakes nicely on a ceramic plate. Two settings were already made for herself and for Hisoka. He snatched up the champagne he had bought before returning home.

He was livid. Kastro was encroaching on his territory and Jun was worse; she had done nothing about it. She'd gone along with him the whole day, eating, and shopping; Hisoka had resisted leaping down there and tearing out Kastro's throat himself. People who put their hands on his prey met their end. Jun was Hisoka's longest project. He'd be damned if anyone laid hands on her before he had the chance to end her life.

"The cupcakes are really cute," she said, taking out her hair and sweeping it up again to catch the strands that had been loose the first time. She sat at her chair and smiled brightly at Hisoka.

Even though he was furious, it was never hisstyle to let it show on his face. He gracefully popped the champagne bottle, pouring it into two glasses and handed one to Jun before sitting across her. He was about to open his mouth to say something, but Jun interrupted him.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her brows furrowed in concern.

Hisoka paused. He was absolutely sure that his face did not give away his annoyance at how Jun had spent her day. "Of course," he replied coolly, taking a sip from his champagne. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," she answered, blinking a few times before looking away. She put a hand to her chest. "It felt like, I don't know, something was wrong, I guess."

"Don't worry about me, Jun-chan," he said, using a fork to cut a piece of the cupcake. He was going to ignore what she'd just said. It probably meant nothing anyway; perhaps she was just trying to start conversation. "I should be the one asking about you."

Jun smiled. Hisoka was asking about her day! She knew that she would have a lot to tell him. Maybe not the part where she got her job, but about lunch at the restaurant, how the food was terrible, or ordering cupcakes, or going shopping—

"How was your date?"

Jun sat there for a little, trying to fathom what Hisoka had just asked her. "Date?"

Hisoka smiled, nodding. "Yes, your date with Kastro. Did you have fun?"

"That wasn't a date," she said, frowning. She hadn't even touched her cupcake yet. "He just asked me to eat lunch. And we went shopping."

"A date," Hisoka corrected.

"No, it wasn't," she insisted, shaking her head for emphasis.

"Do you know why he carried your bags upstairs?" he asked, resting his chin on his hand as he spoke. Jun didn't answer. "Don't tell me you're _that _naïve, Jun-chan."

"Regardless of what he wanted to do, I wouldn't have done it. He was just being nice. I was going to have him leave after he brought my bags," she said, clenching the fork in her hand as though she were soon going to stab Hisoka with it.

"Really?" he teased, and Jun glared. "Did you kiss him today?"

Jun stood up immediately, the chair behind her toppling over as she slammed the fork into the table. It sunk in so far that Hisoka couldn't even see the teeth. He knew that if she wanted to, she could have crushed the table. She was restraining herself. "Are you kidding me?"

"You didn't answer the question." Hisoka remained seated. Of course, he had been watching her for most of the day, so he knew the answer. Kastro had done his very best to be forward, but Jun's obliviousness to the situation was a tough bridge to cross. Despite what Kastro was trying to do, Jun really believed they were friends.

"You know I wouldn't!" she snapped, but before she could say another word, she found her jaw snatched, squeezed between Hisoka's fingers. His nails dug into the side of her cheek, drawing blood. "You know I wouldn't. Why are you being like this?"

"Why indeed," Hisoka echoed, perhaps more to himself than to Jun. Much to his surprise, she knocked his hand away from her face, crushing her palm into his forearm. She stalked around the table, throwing off her haori.

"I'm going to take a shower. Try not to be an ass when I get out," she snapped, and Hisoka saw her eyes slightly darkened for a moment before she whirled around and slammed the bathroom door behind her. It wasn't very often that she spoke to him like this, as it wasn't very often they fought. They actually actively avoided seriously fighting - with good reason; they both tended to get violent.

Hisoka ran a hand through his hair. Well, that didn't go as planned. He hadn't meant to annoy her that much so quickly; was she really so offended? He looked down at the cupcake she'd bought for him. She'd spent at least a little part of her day thinking of him, hadn't she? He took another bite of the sweet pastry.

When Jun came out of the shower, she smelled of strawberries. Hisoka's favorite; it was the only kind of scented soaps she kept in her room. She actually considered not even showering with soap because she was so annoyed with Hisoka.

"I'm sorry, Jun-chan."

She was still wiping her face, the towel around her neck when he spoke, and she wasn't sure she'd heard correctly. "What?"

"I didn't mean to make my princess so angry," he said, running a hand through his hair. He smiled, and used the most sincere tone he had. He had to make it sound believable, especially since he was the one apologizing. "It was my mistake. I apologize."

"Oh," she said, running the towel through her wet hair again. She was only dressed in a black bra and a pair of boy short underwear, but plucked her _haori_ off the ground, pulling it over her lean figure. She grinned, shrugging. "Okay."

A thing smile crept on Hisoka's lips. How simple it was to get whatever he wanted from Sekihara Jun.

"I'll forgive you if you kiss me."

Hisoka blinked. "What was that?"

"You heard me," she said, sticking out her tongue. "If you don't kiss me, I'm not going to forgive you. Maybe I'll go find Kastro instead." She picked up her phone from the nightstand. "He gave me his cellphone number."

Hisoka did not let any emotion show on his face. He did hate it when she tried to manipulate him. Especially when it was starting to work. "Jun-chan, let's not get carried away."

"I'm not getting carried away," she said, as though assuring him. She shrugged. "You were the one being a butt to me. You apologized. Giving me a kiss seems like a small price to pay for me to forgive you."

"I'm not going to do that, Jun-chan."

"Then get out of my room," she said, shrugging. "Or am I going to have to remove you by force?"

There were a hundred things he could have said to her to diffuse the situation. A hundred things she would have liked to hear, a hundred things he could have done to make her happy. He could have just left; she would have probably forgot about it by tomorrow morning. But Hisoka was feeling particularly annoyed, so he said, "Try me."

One moment, Jun was tossing her towel on the bed, and the next, Hisoka swayed to the side to dodge a forward thrust from her short sword. He continued swaying, avoiding being stabbed in the face as she pushed forward. "Thirty percent," he heard her snap, and her arm shot out with incredible speed, Hisoka dodging by a hair's width.

He countered, his elbow shooting out to crush her cheekbone. She moved out of the way, but he flicked his finger, causing her to be yanked forward, straight into his elbow. Dazed, Jun began to fall back, but Hisoka pulled his bungee gum, picking her back up, to be kneed in the stomach.

Jun choked, but her grip tightened on her blade, and she thrust her hand up, Hisoka pulling his head back sharply. The sheer speed of her attack caused a thin line of blood to form on his chin, and he whipped his bungee gum across the room, Jun hurtling backwards into the table.

"Jun-chan," he said darkly, stalking over to her. The cupcakes were strewn across the table and floor, smearing pink frosting over the furniture, some chairs broken over Jun's body. "Quiz time! When did I put my bungee gum on you?"

Jun stood up, spitting blood onto the floor as she flipped her wet hair out of the way. Her eyes were midnight blue, her left hand clenched around her sword. "Like I care," she snarled, enveloping her sword in _nen_. She sliced the bungee gum attached to her chest, glaring at him. She disappeared from behind the table and Hisoka shifted swiftly to dodge her sword. He countered with a palm thrust and she deflected it with her free arm as Hisoka slammed his elbow into her forearm, knocking the sword out of her hands.

She took a breath as though trying to regain focus. "Hisoka," she hissed, and he smiled, knowing what was next. "_Berserker Queen._"

Hisoka watched deep blue _nen _envelope her body. He smirked. There was only one other time when she had fully activated her ability, Berserker Queen. She was getting serious.

"Forty percent," she snapped, and Hisoka immediately felt the sharp increase in speed and power as she her hand nearly speared out his eyeball. She pulled that arm back and deflected his punch. They exchanged blows, Hisoka spending most of his time blocking her speedy punches and kicks rather than attacking. Jun was throwing all her weight into those punches, making it easy for Hisoka to dodge and predict her movements. A small, amused smile tugged at his lips and Jun's temper flared.

"_Forty five percent, you dick_!" she roared in the middle of a punch, and her hand sped up a second before it slammed into his face, sending him flying over the bed. Jun's chest was heaving as she breathed and her fists shaking with rage. Hisoka stood up, wiping the blood from his lip, tilting his head from left to right with a sick crack.

"That's the most percentage you've used against me," he commented, rolling his shoulders back, stretching. "It was a nice punch, princess."

Jun tightened her fist and charged towards him, hand reeled back and ready to send him flying, when she felt her jaw snatched and slammed down on the bed. The bed stand shattered and the mattresses fell to the floor as Hisoka climbed on top of her. He snatched her hands and pinned them above her head, keeping one hand on her chin. He pinned her down, his legs crushing her thighs as she struggled.

"I swear to _God_, Hisoka—" she snapped, but was met instead with his lips crashing against hers. He kissed her hard and long, using his tongue to explore every inch of her mouth. When he pulled back, she was out of breath, and he almost laughed at her feeble attempt to continue glaring at him.

"Do you forgive me?" he asked, licking his lips.

She was still shaking with rage, trying to blink away the midnight blue from her eyes. "I forgive you," she breathed quietly, remembering that she'd promise forgiveness if he kissed her. Hisoka smiled at how easy it was to get what he wanted. He could tell she was trying to calm her ragged breath, trying to wriggle loose, but he didn't budge. "I need water. I have to shower again," she added, her voice shaking. "Hisoka, please."

Hisoka released her and she rolled out from under him, running a hand through her hair and taking a deep breath as she sat on the edge of the bed. She stood up and stalked to the bathroom, stopping when she heard Hisoka ask, "Shall I join you in the shower?"

She dropped her _haori_ and shrugged. "Do what you want," she said, disappearing into the bathroom. A tiny smile curled Hisoka's lips and he stood up, following, unable to resist.


	7. Chapter 7: Kid's Day Out

"I could have sworn that I told you to stay out of trouble," Machi groaned, trudging into Jun's room a few days later.

"It's just my right arm," Jun said with a grin, shaking her good arm. Handcuffs rattled against the bedposts loudly, and Machi rolled her eyes. "I'd take off the hand cuffs, but I'm pretty sure all the bones in my hand are broken; I can't move them. I don't want to break my new bed either."

Machi sighed and sat next to Jun, thankful that Jun was at least half dressed this time, and wrapped her _nen_ around her arm. "Anything happen while I was gone?"

"Not really," Jun said with a shrug. "I fought Hisoka the other day. He was being crazy."

"You mean he was being normal," Machi corrected as she finished the arm. Jun used her free arm to snap the handcuff chains and tear the cuffs from the bedpost without actually harming her furniture. Machi noticed that it was a completely new bed stand, but did not want to ask what happened to the old one. She noticed Jun pluck a glass of some pink alcoholic drink off the nightstand. She had no idea that Jun even drank alcohol.

"No, he was actually being weird."

"So, you fought him? Like with your fists," Machi said skeptically. "Don't you play fight with him a lot anyway? How much did you actually put into it, Jun?"

"Forty-five," Jun answered, and Machi had to blink a few times, not sure if she'd heard right.

"Forty-five _percent_?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you have to activate the Berserker Queen to go over forty percent?"

Jun grinned. "Uwah, Machi, you know my _nen_ too well. You really could kill me, huh?"

Machi ignored her. "Did you win, then?"

"Of course not," Jun answered, running a hand through her hair. "I can't even injure him at forty five. It was fine, though, I punched him in the face, which was what I wanted to do anyway."

"What'd he even do?" Machi asked. For Jun to use forty-five percent of her strength against Hisoka meant that he must have done something she felt was colossally stupid. Or at least done something for her to get pretty emotional about, which was strange for someone as monotone as Sekihara Jun.

"I dunno, he was being weird about me hanging out with Kasper," she said, shrugging.

"Who's Kasper?" Machi asked.

"Kasplan? Kastin. Kas-something," Jun said, waving her hand in the air. "I already forgot. But anyway, some silver haired person asked me to lunch and we walked me upstairs and Hisoka was acting weird, so I punched him in the face."

Machi was actually speechless, and just decided it was better not to say anything at all. Jun wouldn't be able to understand.

"So, what did you do?" Jun asked, pulling on Hisoka's shirt. "While you were away."

"Ryodan stuff," Machi answered. "You know that's what I always do."

"Are they nice?" she asked, grinning. "The other Ryodan members."

"Not really sure what your definition of 'nice' is, Jun," Machi sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'd actually rather not get you involved, but, maybe if I recommend you, you can—"

"You should stick to your convictions, Machi," a voice interrupted as Hisoka emerged from the bathroom with nothing but a towel around his waist. Machi cursed herself for not listening for when he'd shut off the water. "Jun-chan should stay out of our private matters."

"If she joins—"

"She'll have to kill someone in the Ryodan."

"I kill people all the time," Jun piped, but went ignored.

"She can just kill _you_," Machi snapped, making a face at Hisoka.

He laughed and hooked his finger under her chin, tilting her face up. "You're quite the jester, Machi. Jun-chan definitely can't get involved in our private lives."

Machi's attention was elsewhere as she heard glass shatter and glanced over to Jun to see that the glass in her hand had broken everywhere, all over Jun's hands, spilling blood and Jun's drink onto the bed. "Jun," she said, but Jun didn't seem to hear her, even though Jun was staring right at her. "Jun!"

Jun blinked a few times, and shook her head, her eyes focusing on Machi. She then glanced at her hand, and grinned sheepishly. "Oh, sorry," she said, flicking the broken glass off her hand. Machi pushed Hisoka away and tried to help Jun, but was shocked when Jun slapped her hand away. "I can do it myself," she said. There was no malice in her voice, but Machi knew that wasn't how Jun normally spoke to her.

Machi didn't say anything as Jun headed into the bathroom to wash off her hands. Jun slammed the door behind her so sharply that the entire floor shook. "What did you do?" Machi hissed, pointing a thin finger at Hisoka, who had a dark, mischievous smile plastered on his face.

"Nothing," he said, shrugging. "She's been moody."

"She doesn't _get _moody," Machi snapped, putting her hands on her hips. "You _know_ that."

"I do know," Hisoka agreed, crossing his arms over his chest, eyes on the bathroom. The water was still running and he could vaguely hear the sound of glass hitting the ceramic sink as Jun pulled out shards wedged in her flesh. "It's just too much fun."

"Don't get any ideas in that tiny, tiny brain of yours," Machi warned him. "If you're trying to hurt her, I'm not going to be a part of it. You know how she is."

"And so do you, apparently," Hisoka retorted calmly. "Since you two are _friends_. Is that what you tell her now?"

"We _are_ friends, idiot," Machi said. "Jun and I, at least. _Not _the two of us."

"Then, tell me, Machi," Hisoka started, turning his head to look down at her, his amber eyes gleaming. "If Jun-chan were to get tangled in the spider's web, would _you_ be the one to save her?"

Machi pressed her lips together. What _would _she do? If Jun had gotten in trouble with the Ryodan, then could Machi find it in herself to untangle the web? Could Machi stand up to her comrades – to the boss – and fight for Jun to be released? Would she be willing to choose Jun over the Ryodan? The answer was painfully simple. "Jun wouldn't be that stupid."

Hisoka sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He smiled. "Jun-chan's not stupid, Machi. Just innocent. Naïve." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "And I'll take that as a no."

Machi opened her mouth to argue, but Jun came back into the living room, bloody bandages wrapped around her hand. She grinned sheepishly at Machi and Hisoka. "Sorry, I think I do need help."

* * *

Jun was bored.

Though, that probably wasn't saying much considering there wasn't much that could entertain her. Hisoka had already left for the day, and she wasn't in the mood to try following him. She knew she'd just get in trouble anyway. Machi was busy today, too, so Jun found herself alone again.

However, she remembered that there were two special kids somewhere on the 200th floor. She took the elevator downstairs and started towards their room, but there was someone blocking her path.

"Bird-san," she greeted, smiling at the bespectacled man.

"It's Wing," he corrected, approaching her. His shirt was messily done and he raised his hand to push up his glasses. "Long time no see."

"I prefer to stay hidden," Jun said with a shrug. "Can I help you with anything?"

"The boys told me they'd met you," Wing said. He was not smiling.

Jun smiled. "Are you forbidding me from hanging out with them, Wing-san?"

"Well, no. But I'd prefer you not."

He knew that Jun already knew what she was going to say. "Ah, you know I don't like being told what to do."

"They're not allowed to practice _nen_."

"I wasn't going to _fight_ them, silly bear," Jun said, crossing her arms over her chest as she raised an eyebrow at Wing.

"But you did fight one of them."

"Did Killua tell you?"

"No, you just did," Wing said, hardening his gaze. Jun grinned at having been tricked, and stuffed her hands in her pocket. "You could have killed them."

"But I didn't. And I'm not going to," Jun argued, and Wing sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Don't worry. I won't teach them _nen_, I wasn't even going to take them to see a fight or anything. Just lunch. I know you and Kruger-chan get off _refining gems_, but I'm not like that."

Wing scoffed. "But that's why you're here, isn't it?"

Jun smiled. "Bye, Wing-san," she said as she strode past him. "Tell Kruger-chan I said hello."

Wing sighed again. There was no stopping Sekihara Jun when she wanted something. He never did understand what sort of relationship he had with Jun. They weren't friends, they weren't comrades, they didn't agree on anything, but they didn't fight either. He remembered meeting her some time ago from Bisky, but even then, he knew that Bisky and Jun didn't always agree either. He wasn't even sure how Bisky knew her, as he knew that Bisky wouldn't have taught such a dark style of _nen _to anyone. Jun had a shaky relationship with everyone she knew.

But he couldn't fight her. Despite looking and acting young, he knew that she was strong. He didn't want to bother. So, he just had to trust her. She'd made sure there was no other choice.

* * *

Gon's arm was completely healed. Killua was astounded. The doctors told him that he'd need four months to heal completely, and he'd done it in a quarter amount of the time. It was extraordinary. But, then again, it was Gon's willpower that made him so formidable. Gon had decided to keep the cast on for a few more days just to be sure; he seemed to have a feeling that he'd have to wait the full two months before Wing let him do any training. There was going to be no sense fighting it.

"I'm hungry," came a voice from the door, following by a series of sharp raps on the door. Killua didn't know many girls, so when he did hear the voice of one, he knew who it was. Despite his little run in with Jun, who had spared his life, he still was unsure if he should open the door.

But of course, Gon was already jogging to the door, pulling it open with a huge smile on his face. "Jun-nee!" he greeted, and she grinned.

"Looks like you're all better now, Gon," she said, and he nodded, beginning to explain his injury and what the doctors had said as Killua just watched on.

Killua was half expecting Jun to have thrust out her short sword as soon as she'd open the door to see if Gon could have dodged it, but she just stood there smiling. "What are you doing here, Jun-nee?" Gon asked, opening the door wider to let her in. Jun didn't enter their room.

"Just thought I'd invite you to lunch," she said, glancing over Killua's way. "You, too, Baby-chan."

"_Baby-ch_—" Killua started incredulously, but Gon interrupted him.

"Sure! You must know some great places to eat!" he agreed, leaping into the air excitedly. He scooped up his jacket from a nearby table, and slung it on.

"It's my treat," Jun said to Killua, who still seemed a little hesitant. "Jack isn't with me today. It'll be just us three," she added, much to Gon's confusion. Killua wasn't sure if she was lying about bringing her short sword, but there was no talking Gon out of this.

"Fine," Killua said, following the two out of the room.

"Are you sure we're not bothering you, Jun-nee?" Gon asked as they got into the elevator.

"Bothering me? I asked you two to eat, so it's not bothering me," she said with a shrug.

"You don't have to train for any fights coming up?"

"Train?" Jun asked, tilting her head as though she'd never heard of the term. "People I fight nowadays aren't strong enough to require me to train. I don't know many people who can beat my Berserker Queen anyway."

Killua nearly threw his arms around Gon to give him a hug. He loved when Gon asked these sorts of questions; maybe Jun was going to reveal her ability to a pair of kids. After all, she didn't seem to think of them as any sort of threat, so perhaps she wouldn't think twice to tell them her ability.

"What's Berserker Queen?" Gon asked, starry eyed at the thought of a strong opponent. "Your _nen_ ability? What does it do?"

Jun smiled and glanced at Killua, holding a thin finger to her lips. "Secret."

"Aw, man," Gon sighed as they reached the bottom floor.

"You'll see it when I fight, maybe," Jun said, shrugging as she headed out of the elevator. She almost fell into _zetsu _but forced herself to stop. She had promised Wing that she wouldn't be doing anything regarding _nen _today. She could tell by the little tie around Gon's finger that Wing was keeping tabs on him. She didn't want the boys to get in trouble and Wing to interfere. She'd hate to have to kill their teacher.

"What do you feel like eating?" Jun asked as they stepped out into the sunshine.

"Where do you recommend?" Gon asked. "We eat anything. Right, Killua?"

"Yup," Killua said with a shrug, joining the conversation for the first time. He preferred to listen and just study, and by the little smile on Jun's face, he knew she had begun to realize this. Was she allowing him to study her?

"There's this fantastic place down the road. They make the best French fries," she commented, pointing in a vague direction, and the two boys nodded. Killua followed behind Gon and Jun, the other two talking at a thousand miles per hour about…something. Killua didn't really know what it was but he knew that it wasn't important.

Because she wore such a baggy coat that billowed behind her, Killua couldn't tell if she had really left her sword at home. It didn't seem like a smart move from a top fighter, leaving their signature weapon behind, but he realized that if she were truly that strong, she wouldn't need it. Based on their little fight last week, he figured she wasn't the type to have to need a weapon. She didn't even envelope her sword in _nen_; they'd fought with physical strength alone and he still hadn't gotten close to fatally injuring her.

He glanced at her feet. She was wearing high heeled ankle boots and despite being a small woman, took long strides. He listened for the sound of her footsteps. Maybe if he trusted his ears and not his eyes, he'd be able to find an opening the next time they had a squabble. He quickly realized that her footsteps had no sound at all. Even though she was wearing such high heeled shoes and the heel touched the earth each time, the sound of the click against the pavement was so miniscule that Killua had to strain his ears to hear it.

"You okay, Baby-chan?" she asked, turning her head as they walked. Killua snapped his head up.

"Yeah," he said on reflex, not bothering to comment on her little nickname for him. She probably wouldn't listen anyway.

Jun stopped off at a restaurant a few blocks away. It was a rather grand building, a stone base, and a glass tower that went up several stories. The two boys followed her in as she strode straight through the doors to the stairs that slowly changed from stone to glass. They reached the third floor and were stopped by a host.

"This is a Pro Hunter exclusive restaurant," the host explained, patting his slicked back hair. "To go further, you must show your Hunter Li—"

Jun flashed her Hunter License, pressing it against the host's throat. For a split second, she reminded Killua of a certain card wielding magician. She nodded back at the kids, smiling. "These are my guests."

The host held both of his hands up, staying perfectly still. "I am sorry, Sekihara-san, but without a Hunter License—"

"It's okay," Gon said, and pulled out a card from his pocket. He showed it to the host. "I'm a Pro Hunter."

"Uwah, impressive!" Jun said, pulling her hand back to clap. "You, too, Baby-chan?"

Killua shoved his hands in his pocket and shook his head. "Nope, I failed."

"It's fine," she said, waving him off. She looked to the host. "They'll let you in."

"L-let me take you to a table," the host said, and Jun smiled as she skipped behind him. They were lead to a table by a window that overlooked the city and the host left them menus before skittering away.

The boys sat across Jun, who smiled at them sweetly. "You're pretty famous, Jun-nee," Gon said, scooting his chair in.

"More like _in_famous," Killua added, to which Jun laughed.

"It's pretty great. I get my way all the time!" she said, clapping her hands happily. Killua thought she sounded like a spoiled child. But, then again, he did know that she could back it up if given the opportunity.

"So, when did you become a Pro Hunter?" Gon asked as a waiter brought them water.

"Two years ago," she answered. "Pretty late, actually. You two are pretty young and you took the Hunter Exam! Was it your first time?"

Gon and Killua nodded, and Jun grinned. "I'm very impressed," she said, and looked to Killua. "Baby-chan, I'm sure if you took the exam again, you'd definitely pass. It's much easier when you have a few tricks up your sleeve, if you know what I mean."

"You mean _ne_—" Gon started, but Jun's hand flew across the table to press against his lips.

"I promised that wouldn't be a thing we'd talk about or deal with today," Jun said, and pulled her hand back. "I don't have a teacher, but I'd hate to disrespect someone else's."

"You know Wing?" Killua asked, and Jun shrugged.

"I know him, I guess," she said, and a waiter came by with a note pad, ready to take down their order. She didn't bother finishing the thought about Wing. "Seventeen orders of French fries, and three gallons of chocolate ice cream," Jun said, shutting her menu and handing it to the waiter.

"Um, I'll just have a burger," Gon said, pointing at a picture on the menu.

"Rib-eye steak. Medium rare," Killua ordered. Jun frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, come on, boys. You can eat more than that!" she encouraged. "It's on me."

The two seemed hesitant, so Jun spoke up again. "One of everything on the menu," she told the waiter. She smiled at the boys. "We'll have a sampler day today, okay?"

Gon and Killua shared a glance and grinned, nodding at Jun, who sent the waiter off.

"Thanks so much, Jun-nee," Gon said, still smiling.

"Of course," Jun said. "I'm the one that wanted to hang out with you both, so I don't mind."

"So, what do you do all day, Jun-nee? As a floor master, you must be busy," Gon said. Killua just decided to listen to their conversation.

"I actually don't do much," Jun said with a shrug. "I mostly go shopping, since I don't train. Some of the other floor masters I know go to the underground arena, but I don't see the point of training."

"Underground arena?" Gon asked, eyes wide. "There's another arena?"

"You don't need to worry about the underground arena, Gon," she said with a laugh, as not to encourage him to go places or do things that he didn't need to.

"You have to invite us to your next fight, Jun-nee," Gon insisted.

She smiled. "Of course. That's saying that I fight while you're here. I assume you're not staying?"

Gon shook his head. "I'm here to fight someone and make some money, and then we have somewhere else to be," he answered, to which Jun nodded. Killua was surprised; it seemed like Gon had told something like this to Jun before and she'd actually seemed to have remembered.

"Do you mind me asking who it is you're here to fight?" Jun asked, but Gon was cut short by the waiters bringing in a barrage of different appetizers, and about five trays of French fries and a gallon of ice cream to start.

Gon dug in, and Jun decided to drop the question. If it came up, she'd ask again. She wasn't sure how open Gon would be to her questions about his personal life. Of course, she didn't mind them intruding on hers, because she didn't feel like anything was particularly interesting to them. However, she didn't have many friends. She wasn't able to gauge when she was intruding.

She was, however, keeping an eye on the silver haired boy beside Gon. Killua hadn't said much during their little field trip, and she assumed it was because he was simply listening. She knew that he felt he'd been beaten pretty badly the last time they'd met, so he'd be sure to attempt to gain the upper hand during their next exchange.

Although, Jun wasn't sure she wanted one any time soon. She'd never understood how people like Wing and Bisky could take interest in someone and teach them new abilities. Refine them, as Bisky would have said. Jun preferred a more straight forward approach, much like Hisoka. Instilling a sense of hopelessness and desperation, and that would draw out the true, raw strength of a person. She'd felt that helplessness hundreds of times and she only felt like it'd molded her into the woman she was today.

"I'll be right back," Gon said, hopping out of his chair. "Where's the bathroom?"

Jun nodded in the direction. "That way, I think. It'll be on the right side."

Killua and Jun were left alone at the table while Gon fled to the restroom.

"You're an assassin," they said simultaneously. They blinked several times, and then Jun laughed, waving him off.

"Uwah, you're quite perceptive," she said, shoving a handful of French fries in her mouth.

"I could say the same to you," Killua said, sipping from his glass of juice.

"How'd you know?"

"Your footsteps are too quiet," Killua said. "You're fast. And you keep hidden blades."

"I could just be a normal fighter," Jun said with a shrug. "Good fighters are light on their feet and tend to carry weapons, Baby-chan."

"Yeah, but you're not normal," he said, making a face at her, to which she just laughed. Killua looked away. The sound of her laugh was actually…sort of cute. Kind of like the tinkling of wind chimes on a summer afternoon. "H-how'd you know about me?"

She shrugged. "Nothing in particularly," she said. "It was just an air about you. You're the dangerous type – my favorite. You wouldn't happen to be a Zoldyck?"

Killua blinked several times. "Yeah. But I recently quit."

"Oh, I see," she said, scooping ice cream into her mouth. She didn't even seem surprised by him saying he'd 'quit' his own family. He just decided to press forward.

"You know my family?" he asked, wondering what kind of information he could get out of her, being that he wasn't Gon. She'd seemed to have figured out that he was more logical than his green clad counterpart.

Jun shrugged, waving him off arbitrarily. "Yeah, sort of. I've met some of them a few times, but we're not friends or anything like that. Your family's the most famous assassin family; I'd rather not get involved. I don't aim to be a top-notch assassin anyway. I just do it for fun," she said with a bright smile.

Killua swallowed a lump in his throat. "So, you know my brother?"

"Illumi?" she asked, without hesitation, and Killua froze at the name. She could have named any of his three brothers, but she had known in a heartbeat that he had been referring to Illumi. A thousand more questions instantly generated in his mind as she swallowed her food. She popped another French fry in her mouth. "Yeah, I know Illumi. He's—"

"Sorry about that," Gon said, returning to the table with a sheepish grin. "I drank too much juice too quickly!"

"Hope you still have your appetite," Jun said with a bright smile as more food was brought to the table. And like that, the conversation about Illumi was successfully dropped. By the time the third entrée had come, Killua realized that he had waited too long to ask. And it wasn't like he was going to do it in front of Gon. There were things that Gon was just better off not knowing.

"Anyway, what were you saying earlier, Jun-nee?" Gon asked as he plopped back in his seat, digging into a burger.

"Saying about what?" she asked, and Killua deduced by the expression on her face that she had legitimately forgotten.

"About who I'm fighting," he said with a smile. "You wanted to know who it was?"

Jun's eyes brightened and she smiled, nodding. "If you'd like to tell me."

"Gon," Killua warned, and Gon waved him off.

"It's fine, Killua! What harm could it do?"

Killua just sighed. When Gon wanted to do something, he was going to do it no matter what anyone else said about it.

"Okay, who?" Jun asked, clapping her hands together as though bracing herself for the big news.

Gon took a breath. "Hisoka."

Jun seemed to be frozen in time, a little smile plastered on her face as she processed the information. Gon glanced to Killua after Jun hadn't responded for a couple of seconds. He looked back to Jun. "Uh, Jun-nee? Do you know him?"

"You could say that," she said after some time, laughing. She gasped a little and added, "Uwah, then _you're_ the ones," she said, smiling as though realizing something. She looked between Gon and Killua before pointing a thin finger at Gon. "You're fighting him. So it's definitely you."

"Not really sure what the hell that was," Killua mumbled more to himself than to Gon.

"Do you want any tips?" Jun asked, surprising the both of them. She tread the line carefully. She had to offer to talk about _nen _without actually talking about it. She was doing her best to keep her promise to their teacher. "To fighting Hisoka, I mean. Do you know his ability?"

"Do _you_?" Killua asked, furrowing his brows.

Jun just smiled. "Gon? Tips?"

"No thanks," Gon said immediately, shaking his head. "I want to fight him on my own."

Her smile widened. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed. "You answered correctly!"

The phrase, while bright and full of butterflies and sunshine, sent a chill down Killua's spine. It was the exact same thing she'd told him when he'd thrown the knife into her arm instead of run away. If Gon had asked for help, would the three of them still be smiling happily at the table right now? Killua didn't want to imagine it. He realized that no matter how hard he tried to pretend otherwise, the woman sitting before them was absolutely dangerous.

But Gon just smiled, so proud of himself for getting the right answer, that Killua knew the possibility of a wrong answer hadn't even crossed his mind. To Gon, Jun was as harmless as a fly, but Killua knew the truth. That perhaps somewhere down the road, being cautious would probably save their lives.

"Jun-nee, how do you know Hisoka?" Gon asked, starting on a different entrée. They'd devoured at least half the food on the menu by now, and Jun was on her ninth basket of fries and second gallon of ice cream.

Jun chewed her food slowly, seeming to think of an answer to tell them before swallowing. She smiled. "I don't think it's safe to tell children," she said, laughing, and the two boys blinked, not understanding. Jun waved them off. "How I know him isn't important."

"Have you fought him before?" Gon continued. Killua wasn't going to stop him this time. If Gon was going to firing questions and Jun was going to answer without a care in the world, Killua would go along for the ride.

Jun smiled brightly. "Yep."

"Really?" Gon asked, amazed. "Did you win?"

"What do you think?" she asked, popping a fry into her mouth.

Killua had to hold in a gasp. Everything fit together. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jun shot him a glance out of the corner of her eye. He kept his mouth shut as Gon answered.

"No. You lost," he said, completely honestly, and Jun laughed.

"You're right," she said, smiling sweetly. She didn't even seem upset or hurt about it, which Killua didn't really understand. "So, make sure when you fight him, you give him a good beating for me, okay, Gon?"

Gon grinned and nodded. "Osu!"

* * *

Jun had a fun day with the boys. After lunch, she'd taken then shopping and bought them a ton of new clothes and other accessories. It was like having two younger brothers. A brother. That was what she missed. And spending time with them reminded her that there was something else she needed to do. She remembered why she was here.

"I'll see you later," she said as they headed off back to the tower. Jun wasn't yet ready to return, and figured she'd wander around town a bit before going back home.

"Invite us to your next fight!" Gon called, waving broadly as he walked backwards.

Jun smiled, offering a small wave. "You better invite me to yours," she said, and made sure that they'd gotten into tower safely before heading off. She immediately felt a tug on her cheek and braced herself as she was whipped into an alley. A hand curled around her jaw and slammed her into the brick wall so hard that it indented.

"What do you think you're doing, Jun-chan?" asked a voice, and Jun struggled, trying to pry Hisoka's grip off her mouth.

"What?" she choked out, trying to kick him in the groin. It landed, but had no effect. "Twenty per—"

Hisoka squeezed tighter, cutting her off. She felt her jaw fracture, but felt no pain. Hisoka's grasp was firm, his amber eyes gleaming. "While I do admire your ability, it is unfortunate you must be vocal before you use it."

"Twenty per—" she tried again, and Hisoka pulled her back and crushed her into the wall again, shutting her up.

"My prey, Jun-chan," he said, smiling. "I warned you."

"I only found out about it while I was having lunch," she said, prying off two of his fingers. "It's your fault, too! You never told me who it was!"

Hisoka released her and she dropped to the earth, landing on her feet and using the wall for support. She massaged her jaw, feeling for where she would need Machi to fix. Hisoka looked down at her. "You know what happens to those who touch my prey," he said. "You're not an exception."

"I said I didn't know it was them," she retorted, frowning at him. "Ours aren't the same."

Hisoka raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested. It was as though he had forgotten that two seconds ago, he almost shattered her jawbone. "Oh?"

"Baby-chan is mine," she told him simply. Hisoka didn't say anything, and waited for her to continue. She tapped her nose and smiled, realizing that Hisoka had no idea what she'd just said. "I wasn't interested in Gon, is what I mean. I wanted the little assassin to begin with."

With that, Hisoka smiled. Granted he favored Gon over Killua, Hisoka decided to just let it slide. She would get bored sooner or later. "It seems we may have had a misunderstanding, then, Jun-chan."

Jun stuck out her tongue, also seeming to have forgotten that her bones were nearly broken by the man before her. She poked her cheek, realizing that she did have to return to the tower, now that Hisoka had injured her again. It seemed like Hisoka was heading back early as well, so she caught up to him, walking beside him. They'd never gone back to the tower at the same time. "Where's Machi?"

He glanced down at her. "My room."

Jun stayed silent for some time as a small smile crept on Hisoka's lips. "What was she doing in your room?" she asked as they entered the tower. Her voice was completely neutral. If Hisoka didn't know any better, he'd have thought she was asking a harmless question.

Now, what was the right answer? "We were talking."

"All day?"

"More or less."

"Oh, I see," she said. He expected her to try something then, to punch or kick at him, or cause a scene in the lobby, but she just smiled up at him. "Do you think she'd heal my jaw?"

"We're quite lucky to have Machi, aren't we?" Hisoka asked, pressing the button on the elevator. "Otherwise your injuries would take four times the amount of time to heal. You'd perpetually be hospitalized."

"It's my trade off for Berserker Queen," she said with a shrug. "I'm pretty used to suffering."

It was said so casually, that Hisoka didn't even think twice about how true that had to be. Berserker Queen was such a powerful ability that he knew she had to sacrifice a lot to use it to its full potential. He licked his lips. Knowing how much she had sacrificed for her ability would make it so much more rewarding when he could crush Berserker Queen at a hundred percent.

The elevator stopped at the 200th floor, and Jun scanned her ID for the 235th floor as Hisoka got off the elevator. "When you're done talking to Machi, bring her upstairs," she said, and the elevator doors closed.

Hisoka smiled to himself. "Of course, princess."


	8. Chapter 8: Frenzied Dance

Jun tossed a potato sack onto Tanaka's desk. It hit with a squishy, dull clunk, and was soaked in crimson, staining all of his papers and his keyboard with blood. Jun's _haori_ was splattered with blood but she hadn't even bothered to take it off.

"Done," she told him, sweeping her hair out of her face with her favorite hair clip. She gestured to the sack on Tanaka's desk. "I killed everyone in that place, but I'm pretty sure that's him. I didn't completely memorize his face, but you can check to make sure that's him."

"I trust you," Tanaka said, plucking the bag off his desk and placing it on the ground. There was no guessing what was in that bag and he didn't want to open it to take a look. "And the money?"

"Already gave it to butthole-Lancaster," she said, smiling.

"Why didn't you give him that?" Tanaka asked, gesturing to his gift from Jun that was quietly bleeding all over the carpet.

"It's my present to you," she said brightly. Tanaka sighed. If he hadn't known any better, he'd had thought Jun to be a cat; killing something and bringing him the body parts thinking it was some form of affection. She didn't know how to interact with other humans so he often forgave her behavior.

Jun shifted her feet uncomfortably, and Tanaka could feel what she was going to ask next. "Did you find anything?" she asked quietly, looking down. Tanaka was the only one in the agency that she really spoke to about her brother. If anyone else tried to ask, she tended to kill them on the spot. It was a part of why it was taking so long to find anything.

"I want to give you good news, Jun, but I haven't found anything yet," he told her gently, and she sighed. "It's only me working on your brother's case."

"You're supposed to be an information broker," Jun said, frowning.

"You're from Meteor City," he reminded her. "I'm still working on it."

Jun looked up at Tanaka and nodded. "Okay," she said, and turned to leave. There was no point asking anymore.

"Do you believe in me?" Tanaka asked, and Jun paused in her steps. She turned for a bit to look at him, so he continued. "I'll make your time here worth it, Jun. I'm doing everything I can. You just have to wait a little longer. Can you do that for me?"

Jun giggled, waving him off as though she'd already forgotten what she'd even asked him. "Oh, Tan-san," she laughed. "You're so nice to me. I think if things were different, you and I would really get along."

Tanaka wasn't sure what that really meant – he didn't understand most of what she said, but for some reason, it put him at ease. "I've transferred twenty million to your account," he told her, and she tilted her head in your confusion. "Buy yourself a new coat."

* * *

On the way back to the tower, Jun stopped off at a shop and followed Tanaka's advice, picking up a new _haori_, a white one with pink cherry blossom petals floating around the sleeves. She headed back to the tower – there was nothing else to do today.

It was still bright out. She'd actually woken up pretty early this morning to complete her job, but Hisoka had already been long gone. She wondered where he was.

She was about to shower when her phone bleeped, and she picked it up, checking a text message. "_My fight is this afternoon. I would be honored if you'd come to support me._"

Jun stared at the name, and surprised herself when she actually connected a face to it. Kastro, the silver haired person who had bought her lunch and carried her things – his fight was today. She showered quickly, scooped up a fresh _haori _and headed down to the arena.

"Oh, Baby-chan,"she greeted upon seeing Killua making his way towards the entrance.

"Jun," Killua said, blinking. "What are you doing here?"

She pointed to the arena. "There's a fight today, right?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding.

"Where's your cute other half?" she asked, glancing around, looking for Gon.

"Wing said he couldn't come," Killua pouted. He shook the two tickets in his hands. "And these were expensive, too! Damn, if I knew Wing wasn't gonna let Gon come, I woulda just bought candy or something."

Jun laughed, that tinkling noise that made Killua look away. She plucked a ticket from his fingers. "Do you want to watch the fight with me instead?" she asked, smiling brightly.

"Well, you already took the ticket," he mumbled, heading into the arena after her. He took a breath to calm his head. Maybe by watching such a high level fight with a high level fighter, he could learn a thing or two.

"So, uh, who do you think will win?" he asked Jun, stuffing his hands in his pocket.

"What?" she said, seeming to have spaced out. She glanced down at him, and then blinked a few times, shrugging. "I dunno. Kasper just invited me to watch," she said.

"Kastro," Killua corrected, and Jun laughed, waving him off.

"Whatever his name was. I only remember names that I'll have to use later. Like yours, Baby-chan."

"Only, my name isn't Baby-chan," Killua mumbled under his breath, and Jun tousled his hair, laughing again. He wasn't even sure what she meant about 'use later', but he didn't bother asking. She'd probably just change the subject again.

"Who do _you_ think will win, Baby-chan?" she asked as they found their seats.

"Kastro is pretty impressive," Killua said, thinking back to his encounter with Kastro in the tower. He had no idea what Kastro's ability was and was completely surprised. "But I think Hisoka will win."

Jun turned to stare at him, stopping in her tracks. "Hisoka?"

Killua furrowed his brows, nodding slowly. It was like talking to Gon, only ten times worse. "Uh, yeah? The event match today is Kastro versus Hisoka. It's their rematch."

Jun puffed out her cheeks, blowing out all the air with a hiss. "Oh, that liar!" she cried, shaking her fists in the air. "That's where I thought I saw Kasper, he fought Hisoka and lost!"

"Yeah, a few years ago, right?"

Jun nodded, making faces at the ring. "He didn't even tell me he was fighting today!" She laid back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest as she puffed her cheeks out again. Killua had to resist looking at her; she was cute even when she sulked.

He shook the thought from his head. He was here for Gon!

"Why didn't he invite me?" Jun mumbled to herself, sitting up as she brushed the hair from her face. "He's been so weird. Why are men so weird?" she asked Killua this time, turning to him.

He held his hands up. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he told her as Kymaera announced the start of the fight.

* * *

Hisoka could practically feel Jun seething from his place in the arena. Machi hadn't actually been at his room yesterday; in fact, when Jun had sent him away to get Machi, Hisoka had called her on the phone, and asked her to come then. After their little fight on the day she'd spent with Kastro, Hisoka wanted to just watch her squirm. She'd never felt anything close to jealousy in a long time, so Hisoka thought he would help her remember.

He knew she'd come to his fight today, as he figured that Kastro would ask her to support him. He was just _that _type that didn't understand when to stop. Although Hisoka had explicitly warned Kastro to stay away from Jun, he also knew that Kastro's sense of righteousness wouldn't allow him to walk away from what seemed like a damsel in distress. Perhaps Kastro thought if he won this fight, Jun would suddenly realize that she was hopelessly in love with him.

What a _joke_. Hisoka would end those fantastical pipe dreams of Kastro's once and for all.

From the first two seconds of seeing Kastro again, Hisoka knew for certain that he could end the match in a matter of minutes. But what fun would that be? Even if he didn't understand Kastro's abilities right away, what fun would it be if he didn't unveil them to the audience before taking his life? Jun was watching. He wanted to put on a show for his princess.

* * *

No matter how annoyed she was at Hisoka, Jun had to admit that she did love his fights. It was that arrogance and elegance that she had always felt so drawn to and today was no exception. She glanced at Killua, who was so intensely focused on the fight.

She laughed a little, taking his attention away from the fight for a brief moment. "Whose ability are you trying to figure out?" she asked.

"Both," he said, turning his eyes back to the match.

"Hisoka won't reveal his," she said. "And Kasper's is—"

"Jun," Killua said, stopping her. He shot her a look out of the corner his eye, and Jun smirked. That fiery look that turned his eyes to a sharp electric blue. A warning.

She held her hands up. "Fine, fine, Baby-chan," she said, and kept her mouth shut for the rest of the match, just deciding to enjoy it. It had been a long time since she had seen him fight and watching again after so long was actually refreshing. It reminded her why she waited in the Heaven's Arena for so long, why she knew she wasn't ready to leave on her own yet.

Killua felt shivers run down his spine. He glanced at Jun out of the corner of his eye to see her staring at the fight with a bright smile on her face. Her eyes looked darker than they were a few minutes ago. Her _nen _was overwhelming; the people in their seats next to her had moved away from the sheer density of her aura. It was suffocating.

"Jun," he said, and the aura dispersed, completely evaporating into the air as she lost focus.

"Baby-chan?" she said, tilting her head in confusion.

"N-nothing," he replied, turning back to the fight, trying to listen to Hisoka's explanation of Kastro's powers. Killua still didn't understand a thing that was happening until that point. He was listening intently, trying to piece the puzzle together and at the same time figure out how the hell Hisoka was going to come back.

"_You will die in a frenzied dance._"

Jun stood up, patted Killua on the head. "I'll see you, Baby-chan," she said, moving past him.

"Oy, you don't want to see the end?" Killua asked, puzzled. She'd been so absorbed in the match that he figured that even if Hisoka was on track to win, she'd like to see how he did it. Or, what if Kastro got the upper hand again? "Anything could happen."

"He'll win," Jun promised, smiling sweetly. Without even knowing who she was talking about, Killua knew what she meant. He knew who she was referring to. "Later," she added, and disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

Jun headed downstairs as the fight came to an end. She didn't need to listen to Kymaera to know that Hisoka had won. She waited outside the tunnel. She wasn't sure if she was still upset about Hisoka not inviting her to her fight. She thought it would be better if she just asked him what was going on.

The roar of the audience from above shook the entire arena. Jun was about to enter to tunnel to congratulate Hisoka, or something like that, but another voice beat her to it.

"Great match," Machi said, and Jun retreated behind the walls again, deciding that maybe she should leave. She'd been feeling strange about Machi lately and didn't want to push it. She never wanted to harbor negative feelings towards Machi, her only friend. "Now show me your wounds."

"What did you think, Jun-chan?" Hisoka called, and Jun lifted her body off the wall, showing herself in the mouth of the tunnel.

"Was my _zetsu _not good enough?" she asked, heading towards them, tapping her nose. She'd always thought her _zetsu _was flawless. No one had ever noticed her before.

Even Machi hadn't known that Jun was there. "Jun," she greeted, but Jun didn't even glance in her direction. Machi frowned.

"I just know you," Hisoka replied as the three took the elevator upstairs.

"It was good," Jun replied, keeping her eyes in front of her.

Hisoka smirked. "I'm sorry for killing your friend, Jun-chan," he told her.

"No, you're not," she said with a shrug.

The air between them was tense. Machi could feel it, making the hair on her skin stick up. Did something happen between them? Jun was being uncharacteristically distant. She normally loved Hisoka's fights and always raved about them. What the hell happened?

"You're right," Hisoka answered, turning his eyes forward as well. "I'm not."

They got off at the 200th floor and headed into Hisoka's room. Machi headed to a table, and Hisoka made a move to follow, but after Jun stepped into his room, she suddenly stopped. "Do you want something to drink?" Hisoka asked.

"No," she answered.

"Do you want to sit?"

"Nope," she said again, looking up at him. Her eyes were a deep cerulean, and Hisoka smirked. "I'll just watch. Then you're coming upstairs with me." There was nothing demanding about her tone; she wasn't at all forcing him to do anything, and he knew that she wouldn't try using force after their bout before. She said it like she was just reading from a paper, like him coming upstairs was destined to happen, no matter what.

"Of course," he said, leaving her at the entrance to sit at the table with Machi.

"I've been wondering myself for some time, but after seeing your match, I don't have any doubts anymore—" she started, but was interrupted by a thunderous noise from the entrance.

In the next moment, Jun found her hand buried in Hisoka's wall, the dry wall crumbling around her hand. She'd blown off enough surface area to fit a whole dining table. "Jun," Machi said, making a move to go to her. She stopped upon seeing that Jun's eyes had darkened.

"Oh," Jun said after some time, and blinked a few times, her eyes returning to their normal light blue. She took her hand out of the wall, examining the damage she'd done. "I'm fine," she told Machi with a sweet smile. She brought her hand down and flipped the flower vase that had been resting on one of the shelves. It shattered on the ground with a loud crash. "Sorry," she said, completely devoid of emotion. "I'm not feeling well. I'm going to go upstairs. See you later."

She slammed the door hard enough to shake five floors up and below.

Machi looked down at Hisoka, who had a smile plastered on his face. "You're such a stupid jerk."

They spoke briefly about Hisoka's match. Machi seemed to understand Hisoka's power quite well, which actually impressed him. Watching her work her _nen _on his arms was interesting as well; it was one of his favorite things about the pink haired woman.

"We're meeting on August 30th," she said, and Hisoka perked up again. He'd already forgotten what they were talking about. "Everyone is meeting in York Shin. No exceptions."

A thin smile crept on his lips. "Will the boss be there?"

"Probably," Machi answered. She grabbed her things and moved to leave; she didn't want to converse with him any more than she needed to. There was something wrong with Jun and she slammed Hisoka's door, heading upstairs to meet her. She had an idea of why Jun was so upset, but she didn't really believe it.

Jun was jealous.

That was the only answer. Jun had accidentally made Hisoka jealous that day she'd gone out with Kastro, and Hisoka was taking slow, painful revenge on her for it, with Machi as a pivotal player. Machi wasn't going to have it. She wouldn't be involved in his games, especially when Jun was getting hurt in the process.

Jun lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her head was spinning. So many negative things happening around her, she didn't know how to organize herself. All she could do is lie down and focus her _nen _to block out the bad feelings. She couldn't afford to feel anything.

There was a knock at her door and Jun turned to the sound. "Jun, it's me," said a female voice, and Jun stared back at the ceiling. She didn't want to see Machi right now. She felt so…ashamed. For being so angry with her and not even knowing why. Jun wanted to apologize, but she wasn't even sure what she would be apologizing for.

"Jun, please," Machi said outside, and Jun stood up, heading towards the door. She hesitated for a moment before pulling it open.

The words came out of Jun's mouth before she could stop them, "I didn't ask you to come up here."

"Jun," Machi said, her voice stern. She furrowed her brows. She was going to be straight with Jun. "Nothing is happening with Hisoka and I."

Jun paused for a moment, and looked down at the ground. "What's wrong with me?" she asked Machi quietly, and Machi sighed, coming into the room. Jun sulked back to her bed and Machi sat beside her.

"Do you want me to tell you what I think it is?" Machi asked, and Jun nodded. "You're jealous."

And, like Machi had expected, Jun blinked blankly, not understanding what she meant. "Jealous?"

Machi took a breath, trying to think about her words. She had one chance to explain this to Jun and she needed to do it right. "It's like, okay. Um, even though it's totally not true, you see me as a rival when it comes to, ah, _being_ with Hisoka. So, you feel uneasy and upset, because you're afraid that I might take him away from you."

"But you're not going to?"

"Absolutely not," Machi promised. "You and I are friends, Jun. And I also hate him."

"Why do I feel this way?" Jun asked. "It's not very fun."

"You're sleeping with him," Machi explained. "And you don't want him to sleep with anyone else, right?"

"I guess."

Machi sighed. It was so hard to talk to Jun sometimes. "Well, that's why I think you were jealous. There's nothing to worry about, though, I think he's really gross, and you can have him," Machi told her, and Jun just smiled happily, disregarding Machi's other comment. "It's totally normal to feel jealous, Jun. I actually think you made him jealous first."

Jun perked up like a puppy that had just gotten a whiff of bacon. "Really?"

"Yeah, that time you hung out with that guy," Machi said, waving it off. "The one he killed today."

"Did he kill Kasper because he was jealous?" Jun asked, interested. "Hisoka saw Kasper as a rival, so he killed Kasper, because he thought I would be taken away from him?"

That seemed a little too light for something Hisoka would do. He was obsessed with Jun, and he wouldn't allow anyone else to come near her. That was a fact. There was no rhyme or reason for anything he did; he did it because he felt like it. He felt that he owned Jun. That was probably why he did what he did.

But Machi wasn't going to bother explaining that to Jun. She probably wouldn't understand. "Yeah, sure," she agreed. Jun wasn't foolish enough to bring it up to Hisoka anyway. "So, we're okay, right?"

Jun smiled brightly and nodded. "Of course! We're friends, right?"

"Yeah," Machi agreed, standing up. "I have to go. Just try to stay out of trouble, okay? I'll be around, so just call if you need anything, Jun."

"Sure," Jun said, smiling as Machi walked out the door. She let out a breath of relief and laid back on her bed. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Knowing why she felt something made it much more bearable. She tried to remember the feeling, so that she could recognize it if it ever came up again and stomp it out before she had the chance to get upset.

Sometime later, her door opened and she propped herself up on her elbows. Only one other person had the key to her room. Hisoka was standing in the door way having taken a shower and changed into fresh clothes. He brushed the strands of red hair from his face as he made his way to the bed.

"Hi," Jun greeted with a bright smile, sitting up.

If Hisoka were surprised at her sudden change in demeanor, he didn't show it. Instead, a small smile crept up his lips. "Feeling better, Jun-chan?"

"Much better," she said happily, clapping her hands. "Your fight was amazing!"

Now, that was the praise he knew he deserved. "Thank you, Jun-chan."

"Kasper's ability was pretty good, don't you think? He made it just to beat you," she laughed. "It's a waste, though. Isn't he an enhancer?"

"Yes, it was quite a waste."

Jun grinned and stood up, poking him in the chest. "Well, you didn't have to kill him."

"I think I did," Hisoka said simply. His eyes flicked over a worn _haori _on her bed.

"Well, whatever," Jun said, waving him off. "Actually, I thought it was nice."

"Oh?" Hisoka asked, looking down at her, a smirk tugging on the corner of his lips.

"Yeah. You didn't want me to be taken away, right?" she said, smiling sweetly.

Hisoka paused. The smile disappeared. "What was that, Jun-chan?"

"I mean, you were jealous, right? That's why you killed—"

One moment, Jun was speaking, and the next, she was on the ground, her head spinning. She'd thwacked her head on her bedpost and her cheek was burning from having been slapped, the skin on her cheek torn from his nails slicing into her skin. It didn't hurt, but it had still felt like she'd been slammed in the head with a sledgehammer.

"Jun-chan," Hisoka said darkly, sitting on the bed. He crossed his legs, placing his feet near Jun's face. "I'm going to ask you to repeat yourself. The right words better come out of your mouth. Did you just accuse me of being jealous?"

Jun tried to push herself up from the ground, but Hisoka shifted so that his feet were pressed against the side of her face, crushing her back to the earth. Her head was still spinning, and she tried to blink her blurry vision away.

"It's a simple question, Jun-chan," Hisoka said, leaning down slightly.

"Get _off_," she snarled, pushing up with all her might. He reached down to grab her, but she swatted his hand away, pulling herself up. "I said I thought it was a nice gesture. Why can't you just admit it?"

Hisoka ignored her, standing up. "That's the wrong answer."

"Why are you being like this?" she snapped. "It's annoying."

"I should be the one saying that to you, Jun-chan," Hisoka told her, snatching her chin. "You are the one that is acting strangely."

Jun slapped his hand away, and tightened her hands into fists. "You're being such a jerk. I thought that we—"

"There is no 'we'," Hisoka told her. "I belong to no one. But you, Jun-chan, belong to me. That's how this has always been. I warned you before that I don't want this relationship to change."

Before Jun even realized what she did, she'd slapped Hisoka across the face. Granted, it wasn't as powerful as the one he had dealt her; he actually didn't even seem fazed by it. He even seemed to have turned his cheek just to humor her. She pointed a finger at him. "You're the worst," she growled, and Hisoka noticed her eyes darkening. "Don't talk like you're the only important thing in my life. You're _not_ my final goal."

And with that, she turned on her heels, snatching her _haori_ off the shelf and stormed off, slamming the door behind her.


	9. Chapter 9: Home Again

**A/N: My first note for this story. Thank you very much for your support, it means a lot to me that people would actually read my silly OC stories. I really appreciate all of your favorites and reviews, I read them all and take all your thoughts into consideration. Please continue to support this story. Thanks again!**

* * *

_"How boring."_

_ Jun's jaw was grabbed a titled upward, her face up for her mother's inspection. Her mother scowled and rolled her eyes, tossing Jun aside. "Enhancers are so boring. Why couldn't you be a transmuter like that Jin'ai?"_

_ "Sorry, mother," Jun said, offering her mother, Jie, a sweet smile. She was met with a slap in the face._

_ "Stop smiling that stupid smile, Jun'suh," her mother commanded._

_ "Sorry mother," the seven year old said again, and was slapped a second time._

_ "I said stop with that smile," Jie snapped, disgusted. She turned to her guards, already forgetting about Jun. "I've had enough of you for today, Jun'suh. Take her to transmuter training."_

_ "But mother, I do not have the same ability as Onii-chan," Jun said, standing as the other servants attempted to drag her away. "I've been doing transmuter training for months. Maybe I can have another role and train my enhancer ability—"_

_ "My children are only transmuters," Jie snarled. "Their only purpose is to service this family with their abilities. You are no different."_

_ "Yes, mother," Jun said, and allowed herself to be dragged out of her mother's room, the door slamming behind her. Once they were out of her mother's sight, Jun looked up to the guards. "Get your filthy hands off me," she hissed._

_ The guards did not comply. "We have orders to further your education in—"_

_ Jun tugged her wrist out of the man's grip, using it to break the fingers of the other guard's hand. The first guard attempted to grab her again, but she jammed her foot into his gut, causing him to double over. She finished him with a kick to the temple before spinning around to crush her palm into the other man's chest, sending him hurtling backwards._

_ She smiled sweetly, fixing her clothes. "Time to visit Onii-chan."_

_ Jun skipped all the way to her brother's room. He smiled upon seeing her. "You've been making trouble, haven't you, Jun-chan?" he asked, turning his wheelchair towards her._

_ "Not," she giggled, sticking her tongue out, causing her brother to chuckle. _

_ Still smiling, Jin'ai offered her a glass of water from his nightstand. "Remember what I told you? When you get upset, you should just drink a glass of water," he reminded her, and Jun took it from his hand, taking a sip._

_ And she did feel better. All the intense training and torture seemed so small. All the disappointment she caused her mother by being born seemed like nothing. She smiled at her brother. "Thanks, Onii-chan," she said, putting the water back on the nightstand before hopping onto his bed, her legs dangling off the edge. She plucked something out of her pocket, tossing it to her brother. _

_ He smiled, chuckling. "Bungee Gum."_

_ Jun popped a piece in her mouth, grinning. "Stole some the other day from the market," she said proudly._

_ "You're pretty addicted to this stuff," he said, but ate a piece anyway. A richly sweet strawberry flavor filled his mouth as he chewed on the candy. As someone who didn't get to eat sweets very often because of their strict household, Jun's thefts were actually treats. "But it is kind of great. I understand why it's your favorite."_

_ Jun laughed. "I know you like it too, silly," she said with a smile. But it was short lived, as she frowned, picking at his bangs. "Your hair is losing color."_

_ It was true. Jin'ai and Jun were both born with dark hair, but now, the tips of Jin'ai's hair were fraying into a stark silver. "It's fine," he assured her, moving her fingers away._

_ "I don't like what mother is doing," she said, frowning. "When Onii-chan uses his ability, stuff like this happens." She gestured to his wheelchair. "I'm going to tell mother."_

_ "If you talk to her about this again, nothing will change," Jin'ai told her. "You'll just get tortured again. I don't want that, Jun-chan."_

_ "__But it doesn't hurt anymore," Jun said with a smile. _

_ Jin'ai frowned. "Jun-chan," he said quietly. "If you get hurt, then you have to tell me. I can heal you."_

_ "No," Jun said, pouting. "Because it'll make you like this," she said, pointing at his wheelchair._

_ "It doesn't matter," Jin'ai assured her, fixing the blanket over his lap. "I don't mind—"_

_ "I'm going to get us out of here," Jun promised. "Me and you, we're gonna leave Meteor City and get away from mother and all of this stuff and we're gonna be Pro Hunters and explore the world!"_

_ Jin'ai smiled, and was unable to hide a hint of sadness. Jun was young, but by this time, she was already tuned to the world around her. The constant struggle to live everyday made her alert and aware of every little detail. Even the twinge of sadness in her brother's smile. "That sounds fun, Jun-chan."_

_ Jun could tell in her brother's voice that he was lying. He had no intention, no hope, of leaving this place. "I promise, Onii-chan," she said again, hopping off the bed. She flexed her thin arm. "I'll definitely break us out! I'm an enhancer!"_

_ Jin'ai laughed. "You are pretty strong."_

_ "I'm the strongest! I can punch people and stuff and when mother tortures me, it doesn't hurt! That means I'm super strong, right?"_

_ Jin'ai was certain that wasn't what it meant. But coming from the mouth of a seven year old, what was he supposed to think? He just decided that Jun was trying to brush off the pain. She couldn't just…not feel it, right? That wasn't normal. "Super strong," he decided to agree. _

_ "And I'll find a way to get you to walk again! There's gotta be something out there, right? We'll find it," she said, clapping her hands together. She offered her brother a bright smile. "I promise."_

* * *

Jun didn't come back home that night. She'd wandered around town and when she got tired, she fell asleep on a bench somewhere.

"Jun-nee? Jun-nee?" called a voice, and Jun opened her eyes, only to be blinded by sunlight. She rolled over, and fell onto the concrete, still shielding her face. "Jun-nee, are you okay?"

Jun shot up, taking a deep breath. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, opening her eyes to see Gon's concerned face. "Oh, hey Gon," she greeted groggily. "Heading to train with Wing-san?"

"What are you doing sleeping on a bench?" Killua asked, ignoring her.

"Oh, hi, Baby-chan," she said, pulling herself to her feet. She stretched out. "Didn't feel like staying at my place last night. There were mean people there."

"Why didn't you just kill them?" Killua asked, furrowing his brows.

"I can't," she said, shrugging. She smiled at them. "Well, I should go home and shower or something. Have fun training. See you soon, little ones."

And with that, Jun spun around and swept back in the direction of the tower without another word. She was a little afraid of going back to the tower. She'd been on bad terms with Hisoka for a few days, fighting on and off, and she really didn't want to have to do it anymore. But she knew that if she saw him, she'd just get annoyed again. The last thing she wanted was to destroy her house. She knew that if he was there, even if they both tried to avoid it, they'd end up fighting for real this time. That wouldn't end well.

She stalked through the lobby, her hair disheveled and her clothes wrinkled. But it didn't matter, because she just fell into _zetsu _anyway, so no one paid her any attention. She headed up to her room and opened the door. Despite the sun being up, she was half expecting Hisoka to still be at her room, waiting for her so that he could taunt her, but much to her surprise, her room was empty.

She spotted an envelope on the drawer near the door and picked it up, trading it for her _haori_ as she made her way to the bed. Jun tore it open and gave it a cursory glance, groaning before shoving it back in the envelope. It was a fight challenge.

That was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now. How could she get energized for a fight when she was already arguing with Hisoka? If he weren't upset with her, then maybe the fight wouldn't be so boring because she would be fighting for someone, but now it just seemed pointless, as usual. She slapped the envelope onto the nightstand and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She needed a shower to clear her mind.

Just drinking water wasn't enough to calm her down anymore. She needed to be rained on, or she needed to throw her face in a tub. Things were definitely not the same as when she were a child; she wasn't tortured anymore and didn't have to answer to her mother, but her brother wasn't by her side. That'd brought a whole new slew of problems.

Jun shut off the water and changed into fresh clothes – a green bandeau under a sheer white long sleeve button up shirt, and a pair of black shorts before lying on her bed to stare at the ceiling again.

She didn't know how long she'd just laid there before she heard her door open. She didn't bother to look and see who it was; there was only one person it could be. She glanced out of her glass walls. The sun had come and gone; she'd been in bed all day.

"Jun-chan," said a voice. It was her favorite voice up until yesterday, when she found it rather annoying. She didn't turn to look at him, but by the sound of it, he seemed to be taking off his shoes and shirt, sitting on the side of the bed. "Jun-chan, I'm home."

Jun rolled over so that her back was facing him and heard him chuckle a little, climbing over her. "Jun-chan, are you still mad at me?" he asked, turning her onto her back. He folded his arms over her stomach, resting his chin on them.

"I don't want to talk to you," Jun said, pouting down at him.

"Even if I came here to apologize?"

"If you came here to apologize, you're doing a pretty crappy job," she said, puffing out her cheeks as Hisoka chuckled. "Besides, I don't believe your stupid apologies anymore. You're such a butt."

Hisoka lifted his arms from her stomach and crawled over her, propping himself up closer to her face. "Well, I am sorry," he said, a thin smile forming on his lips. He had gotten quite good at sounding convincing whilst apologizing. It was a skill he needed to get Jun to do what he wanted.

Jun turned her head away and closed her eyes. Even if she tried to struggle, he would break all the bones in her body to get her to listen to whatever he had to say. While that would have sounded like fun on a normal day, she wasn't in the mood for that right now. "I don't believe you," Jun said.

"What if I tell you that I was indeed jealous?" Hisoka said, and Jun turned her head, her eyes bursting open. Hisoka's smile widened. "I certainly didn't want that silver haired stick whisking my princess away. So, I had to kill him. You understand, right, Jun-chan?"

Jun smiled brightly. "Of course," she agreed immediately.

"I've even brought you something as a token of my apology," he said, sitting up to kneel over her stomach. Jun lit up and reached her hands up and made grabby hands, wiggling her fingers at him as he pulled a box from his pocket, placing it in her hands. She lowered the box down to herself and opened it.

Inside was a crisp new white hair pin, embossed with sapphire butterflies. Jun's eyes seemed to sparkle as she plucked her new gift from the box. She sat up and Hisoka shifted so that she could sit facing him. She took out her old black hair pin and swept her hair up with her new one, grinning at Hisoka. "I absolutely love it. Thank you so much!" she squealed, clapping her hands together.

Hisoka smiled. All was forgiven, as usual. "You're very welcome, Jun-chan."

"I've never gotten a present before," Jun said, pulling her hair down again to admire the clip. "This means so much to me. Thank you, Hisoka."

Hisoka wasn't sure if he had heard correctly. "You've never received a gift before?"

Jun shook her head. "You're the first," she said, shrugging. She was still smiling brightly, bouncing on the bed as she looked at her new present at every angle possible. She placed it gently on the bed. "You've been saying sorry to me a lot and I haven't been returning the favor. But I am sorry. For, you know, being crazy."

"Being 'crazy' is my favorite thing about you, Jun-chan," Hisoka told her. "No need to apologize."

"No, but I do," Jun insisted, bouncing on the bed for emphasis. Hisoka smiled. He just wanted to hear her grovel. "I shouldn't have gone to lunch with Kastro. I'm really sorry."

"It's all in the past," Hisoka told her. "I've already forgotten about the silver haired minx who tried to steal my Jun-chan away."

"Well, I promise it won't happen again," Jun said, making an X over her heart as she puffed out her cheeks and furrowed her brows to try to look serious. Hisoka smiled, patting her on the head.

"Well then I suppose you and I will never have a fight again," he said. "Since you're going to behave yourself."

"It was fun though, right?" she asked. "Fighting. I haven't fought like that in over a year."

"When we fought over chocolates," Hisoka recalled, chuckling.

Jun laughed. "Yeah, I remember. You ate all my expensive chocolate!"

"You left them out on the counter."

"Doesn't mean you can eat 'em all," Jun giggled, waving him off. Hisoka was surprised at the speed at which things returned to normal. Jun was actually being sweeter than usual, but he had to guess it was something to do with the hairclip he'd given her. It was her first gift, after all. "I actually kind of miss fighting."

"Well, if you're exceptionally impressive at your fight in a week," Hisoka said, reaching over the nightstand to pluck the envelope with her challenge. He slid the envelope between his teeth. "Then I may have a very special surprise for you."

"Do you, though?" Jun asked, squinting her eyes and scrunching her face together jokingly.

Hisoka smiled and squeezed her chin, lightly to convey a joking tone. He tossed the envelope aside, pushing her down onto the bed. He had been without Jun for long enough and he wasn't in the mood to answer any of her questions. He licked his lips. "I most certainly do."

* * *

The next morning, Jun, of course, woke up alone, wearing Hisoka's shirt. She laid in bed for a while. A way to impress Hisoka. She had about a week to think of something for her fight that would impress him.

"How should I know?" Machi said when Jun had called to ask her for advice. "You guys are really weird, Jun."

"He's seen all my other fights," Jun said with a pout, putting Machi on speaker phone as she ran a towel through her wet hair. "Is there something I haven't done yet?"

"I haven't seen your fights," Machi reminded her. She sighed, knowing that Jun wasn't going to give up unless she had something for Hisoka. "Maybe you should go train or something. You never know if you'll find something through traditional means."

Jun groaned. "Ugh, that means I have to fight people, doesn't it?"

"Not necessarily—"

"Wanna come with me to the underground arena?" Jun asked, perking up as though she'd had a great idea. "You can help me with ideas for my fight! Are you busy today with Ryodan stuff?"

"No, I can come with you," Machi said. "I'll meet you downstairs soon."

"See you," Jun said, clicking off the phone. She flung open her closet, thinking of what to wear. She hadn't fought seriously for some time and needed to find something comfortable enough to move in. She pulled on a black crop tank top, and a pair of loose shorts. She plucked her short sword and threw her _haori _over her back and headed downstairs.

In _zetsu_, Jun waited in the lobby, already starting to brainstorm. She had about a week to show something in her fight that would impress Hisoka. She wondered what the surprise was. Knowing him, it could literally be anything. She was half hoping it would be a free kiss or something. Either way, she knew that she wanted to impress him. Berserker Queen was such a difficult thing to be creative with, but she wanted him to be as enamored with her fights as she was with his.

Machi showed up, dressed casually, as she did when the two of them spent time together in public. Jun smiled upon seeing her friend, and Machi took a finger, turning Jun's cheek. It was bruised and cut, and Machi knew exactly who did it. "Dammit, Jun," she said, frowning. "What happened now?"

"Oh, no, we're totally okay now," Jun said with a bright smile. "We fought the other day, but he apologized and now we're okay."

Machi clicked her tongue and sighed, running her _nen _through her finger, poking Jun's cheek with it. The bruise lightened and the cuts healed slightly, enough for Jun's natural healing to handle a complete recovery. Jun smiled. "Thanks, as usual, Machi," she said, skipping together with her.

"So, what are you planning on doing?" Machi asked. "Have you been to the underground arena before?"

"Nope," Jun said with a shrug. "Berserker Queen is a pretty weird ability. I don't know if I can find anything."

"Did he ask you to do that?"

Jun shook her head. "No, he just said he has a surprise for me if I impress him," she said with a grin. She pulled out her hair, pointing at the white clip in her hands. "Look what he bought for me, Machi! It's so pretty! He gave it to me when he apologized."

Machi made a face. "So, he breaks your jaw and you forgive him after he gives you a hairclip?" Machi asked incredulously. "Jun, come on. You don't have to be his toy."

"I'm not," Jun insisted. "He told me he was jealous, too. That's mostly why I forgave him. The clip was a bonus!"

Machi couldn't believe what she had just heard. Hisoka had admitted that he was jealous? She frowned. What kind of game was he playing? In the two years they had known each other, Machi had never seen Jun be so emotional. The most intense she got about anything was really happy over an exceptionally good batch of French fries.

Machi wasn't having it. "He's just manipulating you, you know. All of this stuff, it's not real, Jun," she told Jun, unafraid of Jun's reaction. Maybe it was time to stop babying her. "Why do you even trust him?"

Jun's answer was short and simple: "Because he's all I have."

Machi didn't have a response for that, and just decided to follow Jun into the elevator. She didn't know whether or not Jun was really stupid, really bored, or just really…lonely. She just decided to drop it. No matter what Machi said Jun was feeling, she never really knew; the woman was a hurricane. Anything could happen.

Jun flashed her ID and pressed the B on the elevator and Machi shifted her feet as the elevator descended. "Aren't there multiple floors to the underground arena?" she asked Jun. "Why is there just that one button?"

Jun shrugged. "Dunno. Never been. I think it's 'cause there's another elevator there that can take you lower," she said. "It's only like, ten stories into the ground but I think it's hard, I mean other floor masters go there to fight, right? Must be fun."

"Whatever you say," Machi said, shrugging. She wondered why she often went places with Jun; for all she knew, they could be headed off to be sold on the black market.

The doors opened and the two women were greeted with the faint sound of roars and a wave of heat singing the skin on their cheeks. Jun fanned herself with her hands. "Uwah, it's so hot down here," she sighed, stepping out of the elevator.

"Greetings, Sekihara-san," greeted a woman standing outside the elevator. She was dressed like the rest of the Heaven's Arena workers, her blonde hair pulled up in a tight bun. "I don't believe we've ever seen you here in Tartarus before."

"First time," Jun agreed. She pointed to Machi. "My friend is coming with me."

"That's completely fine," the woman told Jun. "Because it is your first time with us, would you like to hear the rules?"

"Nah," Jun said, strolling past her. "I'm just here to fight." She made a move to leave, but paused for a second, turning back to the woman. "If anyone comes and says they're friends of mine, you would be wise to let them through," she added before skipping away.

The woman seemed surprised, but didn't bother to chase after Jun. "Wouldn't it have been good to learn the rules, Jun? Maybe they're different from the Heaven's Arena," Machi advised.

"Rules don't matter," Jun said with a shrug. She smiled brightly as they headed down the tunnel to where the cheers were coming from. "I'm not here with the goal of progressing further down to become champion or something. I'll fight how I want. I'd like to see them try to stop me."

For some reason, Machi found what Jun was saying to make sense. Jun didn't have that sense of pride as a 'champion', she preferred to achieve her own goals her way. To Jun, that was a win. That was the mindset of a champion: to win by one's own means. Machi understood. But she knew that just because she understood, didn't mean that other people would.

"Welcome," said a scratchy voice in the shadows of the tunnel. Jun didn't seem fazed, even though Machi was a little disturbed that there was some dude in a cloak lurking inside the tunnel. "Would I happen to interest any of you ladies in some items off the black market?"

"Are you sure this is a good place to do business?" Jun asked, frowning, but the man just let out a raspy laugh.

"This is the perfect place. Tartarus, the gates to Hell," he said. He pulled a box from his pocket. "I have here these anti-_nen _pills. If you force your opponent to eat this, it will cancel out their _nen _for six hours!"

Jun made a face. "No, thanks," she said, waving him off. She stalked off. "I'm not here to cheat."

"I have other wares you may be interested in," he offered, shoving the pills back into his pocket.

"Not interested," Jun insisted, waving him off without even bothering to turn back.

Machi just followed, but when she turned back, the man was gone. She turned her eyes forward again. The stadium was much like the first floor of the Heaven's Arena, with multiple stages. Though on this floor, there were only three, and the bleachers were empty. Most of the fighters were crowded outside of the individual rings while one-on-one matches ensued within.

Jun grinned at Machi. "One, two, or three?" she asked.

Machi glanced at the three different rings, gauging the _nen _capacity of both the contestants in the ring and the onlookers. "Three," Machi said after some time. "Those seem like the strongest people."

"I was thinking that, too," Jun agreed. "Plus, their match is almost over," she added, heading over to the right-most ring from where they were standing.

"Try not to attract too much attention, okay, Jun? I know you're here to train, but you don't need to make a scene," Machi told her. She mostly didn't want attention because she didn't want people knowing her face. If she were just able to blend in with the crowd of people as Jun's friend, that would be great. She wanted to go to these places and do things with Jun, but whenever she did, Jun always did something insane that made Machi regret leaving her hotel in the first place.

"Oh, don't worry, Machi, I'm super incognito," Jun assured her, as though that were the truth. Machi just decided to trust her this time.

The sound of Jun's footsteps – heels on the stone – alerted others to her presence and the other fighters turned with the sound. They seemed to realize who she was, as they either moved aside, or shot her the nastiest looks, their faces twisted with disdain. Jun just kept her eyes forward, as though it would take too much energy to acknowledge those who had turned to look at her.

She stood on the outside of the ring as one of the fighters was thrown out, crashing into the wall. Jun didn't seem impressed, her expression not changing a bit.

"Winner by ring out, Leon," the referee announced. Before anyone could move, she stepped into the ring, inciting a few angry protests.

Leon was a lean fighter, dark skin and dark hair, swinging around a battered sickle and chain that looked like it had to give Tetanus to anyone it touched. "Sorry, but you're gonna have to wait your turn," he told her, his voice smooth like velvet.

"Not in the mood to wait," she said, stretching out her arms. "Let's go."

"Fine, I suppose I'll take the floor master for my third win," he said, unfazed.

Jun was still not impressed. She pulled out her short sword from behind her back and tied it to her hip. "Not sure what that means, but let's do it. I don't even want to fight you, I don't want to get diseases from that disgusting excuse for a weapon you have."

Machi sighed. She would later need to perhaps give Jun a talk on how to not agitate people.

But Leon didn't seem affected by Jun's blunt words. "You haven't been to Tartarus before?"

"Are we starting yet?"

Leon was ignoring her. "In order to move on, a fighter must gain—"

Jun disappeared and reappeared not a foot away from Leon. He hadn't even realized that she'd flung her short sword across the ring, the blade piercing his chest and protruding out from his back. She tore it out and slammed her foot into the side of his skull, sending him hurtling out of the ring before he'd even realized that he'd been hit. He slammed into the earth, skidding along the stone across the entire stadium until he crashed into the wall, rubble and dust exploding into the air. The other rings had even paused in the middle of their matches to see what the ruckus was about.

Jun flicked the blood from her sword, sheathing it again. She smiled at the referee. "That's a ring out, right?"

Machi rubbed the bridge of her nose. She could tell that Jun had probably won by T.K.O., and by T.K.O., she meant death. Jun's stab had been the killer back there; she'd shoved the short sword straight through one of Leon's lungs. Even if she hadn't kicked him and shattered his skull, he would have died regardless. So much for not attracting too much attention.

Jun smiled. "Can I fight again? That wasn't even ten percent."

"Yes, you may," the referee told her, even though every cell in his body was telling him not to let this crazy woman fight in his ring. "In order to go downstairs, each fighter must win three consecutive matches."

"Oh, so you mean most people don't move on," Jun summarized. "Judging by this weak lot, I feel like a lot of these people don't ever get downstairs."

Jun's words incited more livid protests, but she didn't even seem to hear them. "Question real quick," Jun said to the referee, who nodded. "I am allowed to kill people, right?"

"Yes, but it does not count towards your quota to advance."

"So, that one didn't count," Jun said, gesturing to the wall where Leon's body was.

The referee swallowed a lump in his throat. "It did not."

"That's fine," Jun said, waving it off. "I can fight again though."

"Yes," he said again. "A fighter may stay in the ring as long as he or she wishes. Three consecutive wins grants you a ticket to the next floor, and deaths do not count towards that quota."

"Okay," Jun said, clapping her hands. "Anyone willing to help me train? Maybe going downstairs would be good; everyone here seems pretty weak."

With that, a woman stepped into the ring. She was much taller than Jun, at about six feet tall, her olive skin painted with tribal tattoos. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight pony tail, and she pulled out a curved sword from her belt. "I'll finish off this cocky bitch," she snarled. "Just because you're a floor master, you think you can come in here and say what you like and have your way."

"Are you in the 200's?" Jun asked, not impressed.

The woman's face twisted with scorn. "Of course. You can't get down here without being in the 200's."

"How many wins do you have?" Jun asked.

"Five," the woman bragged, crossing her arms over her chest triumphantly. "Five in two years with only one—"

"Ugh, can I fight someone else?" Jun asked the referee, making a face. "I don't want to kill random people, I just want to train."

The vein in the other woman's forehead looked like it was ready to pop. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted with Jun thrust kicking her out of the ring in one fell swoop. Jun turned to the referee. "I did my best not to kill her that time," she said, glancing over at the woman's body. She wasn't moving, and Machi didn't blame her. That kick could have taken down a herd of elephants.

"Winner by ring-out, Sekihara Jun," the referee said. The quicker he gave her points, the quicker she'd leave the floor.

Jun blew the bangs out of her face, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm already bored," she said with a frown. She seemed to think for a bit before doing a little jump as though she had an idea. She headed towards the edge of the ring. She stuck her finger in between one of the tiles and flipped it out of the ring in one swift motion. It slammed into the ground and she jumped onto it, pressing it a little deeper.

Machi headed over to where her friend was standing in the middle of the tile, pulling out wads of cash from the inside of her _haori_ pockets. She swung off her _haori_ and bundled all the money inside, tying it like a knapsack, letting it plop onto the ground.

"250 million Jenny," she told others who had gathered near her. "If anyone can hit me out of this tile, I'll give them 250 million."

The onlookers talked amongst themselves, the prospect of so much money riling up the greed lurking within. Fighters fought in Heaven's Arena for the money, but once a fighter reached the 200's, the money stopped, no matter how many fights you did. There was no other way to get money once in the 200's unless the fighter became a floor master.

Machi actually found Jun's plan to be rather smart. Motivating people with their own greed ensured that she'd never run out of people to fight. Not fighting in the ring allowed her to kill whomever she wished, and none of the referees were going to try to stop her from having her own little contest. A space constraint added desperation to both Jun and whomever she was fighting; the tile was only about six feet by six feet. Since Jun was just fighting to try and figure out something to show Hisoka during her fight next week, the situation was rather perfect for her.

* * *

Hisoka, also, found Jun's situation rather perfect. Granted, he hadn't expected her to want to progress further down, as Jun was rather selfish and had a one-track mind. He knew that if he had told her a specific way she could impress him, she would stop at nothing until she had achieved that goal. She'd been in Tartarus for a total of about ten minutes and she'd already killed two people. This was what he liked the most about her.

He'd come down to Tartarus rather early and perched himself in the tunnel opposite of the one Jun came out of. Of course, he had been using _zetsu _the entire time, as the last thing he wanted was for Jun to sense him. Jun was so easy to predict that Hisoka hadn't even waited very long for her to come downstairs.

He watched her for what seemed like hours. She'd at least beaten twenty people already and they'd been here all day. She didn't even break a sweat and had gotten bored with fighting with her sword that she'd stuck it so deep into the stone that only the hilt and handle were protruding out of the earth.

"How cute," said a voice, and Hisoka recognized it instantly, a smirk creeping onto his lips. Hisoka sensed a bit of sarcasm but the tone was so dry and devoid of life that perhaps the man was serious. "Watching over your girlfriend."

"Illumi-kun," Hisoka greeted, turning his head to see the dark haired Zoldyck standing behind him. "What brings you here?"

"I was in town and I heard that a little monster was killing people at the gates of Hell," Illumi said, his voice monotone, despite his words. "I thought it was Jun'suh, and it turns out I was correct."

"_Jun'suh_?" Hisoka asked, smiling.

"It's her birth name," Illumi told him, as though he didn't already know. The fact was that Jun always introduced herself as 'Sekihara Jun', so Hisoka, in fact, did not know that her birth name was anything different. He'd never once heard Jun call herself that and it reminded him that while he did know her, he knew very little _about _her. He wasn't sure if it was annoying or amusing.

"You know her quite well," he teased.

"As do you," Illumi said, turning his eyes to Jun. She was in the middle of another fight, dodging all the opponent's strikes with ease. He didn't know how long Hisoka had been here stalking Jun, but Illumi had a feeling that Jun hadn't even used her ability, even though she'd been here the whole day. He also had a feeling that the entire reason she was down here slaying other fighters was because of something Hisoka said. Jun, while strong, was easily manipulated and very simple minded. Illumi knew that she valued Hisoka's opinions and words. He also knew that Hisoka knew this and enjoyed taking advantage of it.

"Are you going to fight her, Illumi-kun?" Hisoka asked, his eyes gleaming.

"Even I wouldn't go near that train wreck," Illumi said, and Hisoka chuckled. The last time they had fought had been some time ago and after that, never bothered fighting each other again. Illumi actively avoided it out of the sheer amount of nuisance it was to fight Jun. "Besides, I would rather not touch your woman."

"You know she and I aren't like that."

"Does she know that?"

"Of course," Hisoka said. "My princess isn't stupid."

"So, she's aware that the clip in her hair is a tracker?" Illumi asked, and Hisoka did his best to offer an innocent smile. It did not work. It just came off as deceitful. "You know that if she had used _Gyo_, you would have been found out. Your _nen _is infused into that hair clip. I can literally see it from here."

"I just don't want her to get lost," Hisoka said with a shrug, as though he didn't already know all of that stuff. He _was _the one who gave it to her. "Since she has to travel sometimes. You know, working as an assassin and all."

Illumi glanced at Hisoka for a moment. "Did she finally tell you?"

"No, you did," Hisoka said, grinning. Illumi sighed, and Hisoka waved him off. "But I figured she was anyway. She had to be doing something in this town besides sit in her room. And she leaves her bloody coats all over her room as well. Don't worry, I won't tell _Jun'suh_ that you spilled the beans, Illumi-kun."

"Are you going to fight her today? I am sure it is something that would please her," Illumi said.

Illumi went ignored. "What agency does Jun-chan work for? How long as she been there?"

"You should ask her yourself."

"She'll be upset. She didn't want me to know for a reason."

"Yes. Maybe it would be wise to respect her wishes."

"Illumi-kun, do you _like_ my Jun-chan?" Hisoka asked, turning to face Illumi, a mischievous smile etched into his face. "You know I don't like sharing."

Illumi sighed, shaking his head. "Of course not. You are too protective of her, you know. Are you sure that Jun'suh is not your girlfriend?"

"Of course she's not," Hisoka reminded him, smiling. "I'm actually kind of jealous, Illumi-kun. My Jun-chan lets you call her Jun'suh. Even I don't call her that."

"She doesn't let me," Illumi told him. "However, we are not particularly friends, so addressing her by anything but her birth name is inappropriate. She has learned to deal with it, like I assume she has learned to deal with you calling her Jun-chan."

"I suppose," Hisoka said, turning back to look at Jun. She was already fighting someone new. "When is Jun-chan's next job?"

"She doesn't work for my family," Illumi said. "I wouldn't know."

"You can ask her."

"Or _you_ can ask her."

"Pass," Hisoka said, waving him off. "What is she working for?"

"What do you mean?" Illumi asked. Though he had no intent of answering the question even if he knew the answer, it was actually a bit amusing for him to have Hisoka prying into Jun's life.

"Jun-chan is simple," Hisoka told him. "She is easily bored, especially if there is no goal in sight. She wouldn't do something like _work _unless she felt like the end reward is particularly extravagant. You work with her occasionally; do happen to know what that thing is?"

"No," Illumi said. Though that was not particularly true.

"Could you find out for me?" Hisoka asked sweetly. "I'll pay, of course."

Illumi sighed. "Or you could save yourself – and me – the trouble and ask her yourself. I'm sure if it was you, she wouldn't mind. Since you are her boyfriend."

"It's actually more trouble to ask her," Hisoka said, making arbitrary hand motions, ignoring Illumi's comment. "If I ask her for something, she'd ask for something from me in return. I'd rather not play games."

"That's unlike you."

"Give me a call when you find out," Hisoka said brightly, smiling at Illumi.

Illumi sighed again. "Fine," he agreed. He turned to leave, but paused for a second. "She got stronger since I've seen her last. Say I did fight her. Would you intervene?

A thin smile spread on Hisoka's lips. "Do you want to fight her? I'm sure she could learn a lot from you."

"Will you intervene?"

A thin smile spread on Hisoka's lips. "If her life is in danger, Illumi-kun, I will have no choice," he said simply.

"Not worth it," Illumi sighed, walking away, leaving Hisoka alone.


	10. Chapter 10: Versus the Queen

News of Jun tearing up Tartarus was starting to spread. She'd been downstairs for three days now, only leaving her post to use the bathroom or buy food. She'd stayed awake the entire 72 hours she'd been downstairs and still had the 250 million Jenny. The amount of fighters willing to challenge her had diminished. Other floor masters didn't even bother, figuring the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. They didn't need 250 million Jenny from a crazy woman.

Even Killua and Gon had heard something about the Red Queen fighting at the gates of Hell and while Killua wasn't particularly enthused with trying to go downstairs to watch a dangerous fight, Gon was already taking the elevator.

The elevator opened on the basement floor, and the two were greeted by a woman. "I am sorry Killua-san, Gon-san, but Tartarus is restricted to fighters in the 200's with five wins or more," the woman said before they could even step out of the elevator.

"Five wins?" Gon said with a frown. "We weren't planning on fighting, we just wanted to see what all the commotion was about," Gon said, but even Killua didn't believe his tone. Of course Gon had come down to see someone strong and fight them, if he were granted a match. The woman didn't seem to believe him either.

"Sekihara Jun's fights are probably too intense for boys your age to handle," the woman advised.

"It's Jun?" Killua asked, furrowing his brows. "She's the one fighting down here? The Red Queen?"

"Yes," the woman said. "She has been fighting in a tile for three days. She has already killed over thirty people."

"We know Jun!" Gon said.

"Everyone knows Sekihara Jun," the woman said. "She is a floor master. Notorious for her gruesome fights. She's one of the only fighters to win her position with ten K.O.'s in the 200's. All ten were bloody deaths, thus the nickname: Red Queen."

That was news to Killua. Those stats were even worse than Hisoka's. "We're her friends," Killua tried. "We had lunch with her the other day."

The woman frowned. She wasn't sure whether or not to let these boys through. She remembered Jun telling her that if people came saying they were her friends, then to let them through. But what would Sekihara Jun be doing having _friends_? Especially being friends with such cute, young boys.

"Go ahead," the woman said, deciding to just listen to what Jun had said. If the two boys weren't Jun's friends, then they were the ones going to get into a world of trouble, not her.

Gon and Killua raced down the tunnel, excited to be in the underground arena. Besides the three rings, Jun was still sitting in her tile. She was having a French fry, and as the boys got closer, they noticed that her skin and hair were flecked in dry blood. The tile and the earth around it were also covered in dry blood, but there were no signs of any bodies. The arena staff probably removed them as they piled up. She wasn't fighting anyone now, and there didn't seem anyone too enthused to fight her either.

"Jun-nee!" Gon called as he approached, and Jun turned at the sound of her name.

She offered Gon a broad smile. "Oh, hey, little ones," she said, standing up. She stretched her legs out, as she seemed to have been sitting for some time.

Killua opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, as Gon beat him to the punch. "What are you doing down here?"

"It doesn't seem like you to fight out of your own free will," Killua added, to which Jun laughed.

"I have an official match in a few days," she said, and pulled tickets out from her pocket, handing it to the boys, Gon's eyes sparkling. "So I'm here training."

"Training? I thought you don't train," Killua said.

Jun shrugged. "I have a friend to impress," she told him. "So I have to fight well or I won't be rewarded."

Killua, of course, had no idea what any of that meant, but he knew he didn't have to say it for Jun to know it. She was cryptic on purpose. Anything he asked wouldn't be answered.

"Can we fight you?" Gon asked. "I'd love to help you train!"

"Sure," Jun agreed instantly, clapping her hands together. "I've been waiting for you to ask!"

"Oy," Killua warned, stepping in front of Gon. He glanced around quickly, analyzing the situation. "You have rules."

Jun smiled. "I do."

"What are they?"

"A one-on-one. You can fight me for as long as you like. If you knock me out of this tile, I give you 250 million jenny," she said brightly, Gon and Killua's eyes widening at the amount of money. Killua realized why the ground was covered in blood. It was a lot of money, so it probably meant that a lot of people fought her.

"What's the highest percentage you've used?" Killua asked.

Jun smiled as though she knew he was going to ask. "Twenty this morning, but it's because I'm pretty tired. I've been here three days."

"Okay," he said, blinking as he glanced around, trying to concoct a plan. Even he was anticipating fighting Jun. He wanted to see how far he had come in training with Wing. "If we fight you, I have a few conditions of my own."

"Shoot," Jun said, making her finger into a gun to point at Killua.

"One: Gon and I fight you together," he started. "And if we win, then we get 250 million Jenny. Each." Jun opened her mouth to say something, but Killua beat her to it. "_And_ we get to choose the percentage you use against us."

Jun closed her mouth, pausing for a moment, a thin smile creeping up her lips. "Okay."

Killua blinked a few times. Gon clapped his hands, excited, and made a move to step into the ring, but Killua pulled him back. "Wait," he warned. "That was too easy."

Jun laughed. "I'm the one that wants to fight you," she said. "So I don't mind. Your conditions are fine by me. Except Gon fighting. I'll still give you 250 million jenny each if you can beat me on your own, Baby-chan."

Gon frowned. "What? Why can't I fight you?"

Jun hummed, thinking. She did want to fight Gon. The boys had been training together, and she wanted to see the fruit of their training, together. She knew that they wanted to tag team against her as well. "I can fight you," she told Gon, tapping her nose. She pulled out her phone. "But I have to call someone first, okay?" Jun hopped off the platform and when she was a considerable distance away, clicked her speed dial.

"Yes, princess?" answered the voice on the other end.

Jun paused for a long time, tapping her nose, thinking. There were a lot of ways she could phrase this, and a lot of things she could say. But she knew Hisoka. Better than she knew anyone. They'd already had that conversation in the alley where he'd fractured her jaw. But this was different, right?

However, even if there was a 0.000001% that Hisoka would let her fight Gon, she didn't want to upset him. He was all she had. She wanted to fight Gon, but it wasn't worth losing Hisoka. Jun took a breath. "Nevermind," she said finally.

"Have fun," he sang, and she clicked off her phone, placing it on the outside of the tile near her folded _haori_. She hopped back into the ring.

"I can't fight you," she told Gon. "Sorry, little one."

"Why?" Gon asked again.

"I made a promise to a friend," she said, smiling. "You understand."

Gon paused for some time before nodding and stepping back. Jun turned to Killua. "Are you ready?" she asked, gesturing to the ring.

"Why?" Killua asked this time. "This is too easy. You're letting me choose your percent. How do you know I won't just choose one percent, beat you, and take the money? We're only fighting in the arena to get money."

Jun laughed. "Because I know you, Baby-chan," she said. "You want to see Berserker Queen," she added. "And I'm going to tell you that if you want to see Berserker Queen, then you have to go over forty percent. I know you're not here for glory. But you wouldn't come down here if you didn't want to test your strength."

Killua clenched his jaw. Everything she had said was 100% correct.

"You and I are the same, remember?" she added brightly, as though reading his mind. "Now, what are the conditions for our fight?"

Killua swallowed a lump in this throat. "One-on-one, you lose if you're out of the ring. No weapons. I choose the percentage. 500 million jenny if I win."

Jun smiled. "And if I win," she said, tapping her nose. "You get to choose your left or your right eye." Jun pointed to her eyes for emphasis. She gestured to her sword stabbed into the tile. "Because that's the one I'm going to take from you."

He chewed on his lip. He had been taught never to engage an opponent he didn't think he could beat. It was the first rule in assassination. "Fine," he said, nodding.

Jun smiled and pointed a finger at Killua. "Then if you're ready, Killua," she started, surprising him by using his name. "_Berserker Queen_."

The air thickened, like Killua was standing in a burst of sulfur, burning his eyes and drying his skin, but at the same time, drowning him in an abyss of immeasurable strength. Like that time in the hall where Hisoka blocked them from going into the 200's, or that time he faced Illumi at the Hunter Exam, Killua felt that if Jun simply stuck out her hand and touched his cheek, the skin would melt right off his face. He tightened his jaw to keep from shaking. Jun's eyes had almost completely turned black.

Killua swallowed a lump in his throat. "Forty percent," he told her, and Jun smiled.

"Forty percent," she echoed, putting her fists up as Killua stepped into the ring.

He side stepped immediately as Jun's fist came hurtling at his face and ducked as she whipped her leg at where his head should have been. She could have knocked his skull completely off his neck if it had landed

He thrust his palm up and forward towards her sternum, but she deflected it with a flick of her wrist, deflecting his next punch sideward as well. It was like she was swatting a fly, but it completely threw Killua off balance and he leapt back and away from her as far as he could. She covered the six feet distance between them in a second and Killua whirled around as she aimed her speared hand towards his face. He threw another punch and she flicked her wrist again, throwing him off balance.

Killua clenched his teeth. It was as he thought. Jun didn't take hits; she deflected them. It was why she had managed to stay in Tartarus for so long. Killua knew that Jun was more than capable of stomaching a few hard hits without moving an inch, but it didn't seem to be her style. She didn't take anyone's hits and all of her hits were meant to kill, or at least send someone hurtling out of the ring.

Killua didn't fancy himself too much of a close range fighter. He was well combatted in martial arts, but he didn't often engage in pummeling matches, which is what he had stumbled into when he'd stepped into the ring with Jun. He preferred killing someone and leaving, but Jun seemed to like the chase and so enjoyed and thrived in close range battles.

Killua bent backwards, avoiding another punch to the face, and used the backwards momentum to land on his hands and fire his feet up, aiming for Jun's forearm. She even deflected that, offsetting his handstand. He quickly shifted his weight and landed on his feet, fists up. He needed to be able to either take her hits or defend against them; he wasn't going to be able to dodge them all.

But Jun was laughing, and she put a hand on her hips, dropping her stance. "You're quick," she praised, smiling. "You adapt really well."

"You don't make it easy," Killua told her, not dropping his guard for a moment. "Your style is annoying. It's not fit for an assassin."

"I get that a lot," she laughed. "I like you, Baby-chan. You're smart and you're strong, so I'm gonna give you a hint: I'm an enhancer."

In a second, she was right in front of him, a punch flying towards his face. Killua threw all of his strength into his hand to thrust his palm up and deflect her punch. But Jun had anticipated it, and was already throwing a second uppercut. He threw both of his hands downwards to catch the punch and was lifted off the ground for a few feet but he managed to stay in the ring.

Even though she was using only ten percent more strength than the last time they'd fought, Killua felt like her power had doubled. He'd blocked both of those punches, but he already felt winded. She swung her leg out and he leapt over it, whipping his hand out for a chop to the neck, but she deflected it with ease, sending him back to the earth, almost pushing him out of the ring.

The fight was so one-sided. Killua spent a lot of energy simply dodging her attacks without landing a single one of his own. She was in a different league entirely. Jun came in for another punch and Killua dodged. He tried for a feint to her face, and to his complete surprise, she fell for it, making a move to deflect his hit, letting him have a clear shot to her solar plexus. He took it. Killua weighed all of his power into a thrust palm to her solar plexus and Jun took the hit, sliding back a few feet. She knelt over and coughed up blood.

Killua was in shock. He'd done it. He'd landed a hit. On an enhancer! Her specialty was a fortified offense and defense, and so it made sense that she was adept at close combat.

"Shit," she said, wiping her lips as she stood up. It was the first time Killua had ever heard her curse outright. When she looked back at Killua, it was like he was looking at someone completely different. Instead of the innocent competitiveness that Killua was used to, Jun's face was twisted with malice. "Now I'm fuckin' pissed," she snapped, taking on a rougher accent. "You will bow down to the queen."

She disappeared and the next thing Killua knew, he took a kick to the temple, sending him crashing into the tile so hard that he bounced back up. Jun slammed her fist into his stomach, sending him back to the ground, denting the tile. She stepped on his chest and leaned down to stare, Killua dazed with the beating he'd just taken. The kick to the face and the punch in the gut felt like he'd been slammed by a freight train. He didn't even know if he could stand after this.

"Oy, oy, is that all ya got?" she asked, flicking the hair from his face. Killua recognized the same cheery voice as Jun's, but the words coming out of her mouth didn't sound the same at all. "I thought ya were going to take 500 million from me but you're just shit."

Killua raised his hands to try and pry Jun's foot off his stomach, but she just pressed harder. She whipped around, pointing out a finger at Gon. "Oy, stay there, you," she hissed at Gon, who had his fists clenched and shaking. He looked like he was going to dart into the ring and slam his fist into Jun's face. "If ya move another fuckin' inch, little one, I'm gonna slit this kid's throat right here. So, unless ya wanna be one Zoldyck short, I suggest ya stay the fuck back."

She kept her eyes on Gon until she was sure he wouldn't move, and turned her eyes back to Killua. She opened her mouth to speak again, but Killua poured his strength into a final hit, knocking off her foot and leaping back. He was breathing hard, his body shaking. Who the hell was this person? It definitely wasn't the Sekihara Jun that had started the fight.

She darted at him, thrusting out her palm, and Killua managed to dodge by a hair's width. She whirled around and landed a square slap to his face, and he dug his heels into the ground to keep from flying off the tile. He couldn't lose now. He'd lose more than just the match if he fell out of the tile.

He threw a punch, but Jun deflected it hard, bruising his arm as she landed another punch to his cheek. It was like taking a sledgehammer to the face. He didn't move, and instead advanced, pushing forward with a series of hits that Jun either deflected or dodged. He'd managed to back her to the outside of the ring and put his fists up for one final punch.

Jun cackled, throwing her head back. "Ya think ya got it in the bag? Well, you've got another thing comi—"

Killua's punch was quick and sharp and aimed right at Jun's solar plexus again, but she caught it this time, and lifted her hand to finish the match. Gon saw it for a brief second; something seemed to click and Jun blinked for a second, looking down at Killua. Her eyes changed back to blue and she caught him as he fell, completely passed out.

"Baby-chan?" she said, brushing his hair back. She placed two fingers at his neck, feeling for a pulse, and let out a sigh of relief. She pressed her lips together, pulling her sword from the earth. "I'm so sorry, Baby-chan, a deal's a deal—"

"Jun-nee," Gon said, pointing, and Jun looked to where Gon had been looking at to see that when she'd caught Killua, her heel had stepped out of the tile. She laughed weakly, falling back to sit and allowing Killua's body to lay over her lap. Tossing her sword aside, she covered her eyes with the back of her palm as Gon approached cautiously.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Please take him somewhere to get fixed up, okay, Gon?"

Gon nodded, picking up his friend. Killua was breathing lightly, sleeping. He'd passed out from fatigue. He knew that the injuries Killua had taken from Gon were some of the toughest hits he'd had to endure, but Gon knew that Killua would be alright.

"Don't forget the money," Jun said, tossing Gon her _haori_. "250 million. I'll give you the other 250 million if I see you again. Or I'll just send it to your room."

"We'll see each other again," Gon said with a grin, which seemed to surprise Jun. After how she'd acted earlier, she was sure that the boys wouldn't want to see her again. "We'll both be at your fight, Jun-nee! Please come to ours, we're due for a match tomorrow!"

"What? Why didn't you say so? I wouldn't have fought you if you had another match!" Jun said, furrowing her brows in concern. She glanced at Killua. "I did a bad thing."

Gon waved her off. "Killua will be okay," he promised her. "You went easy on him."

Jun pressed her lips together. Gon had seen through her completely. "Don't tell him," she said.

Gon laughed. "I won't."


	11. Chapter 11: Of Coffee and Kings

Jun hadn't slept in a few days. But instead of sleeping, she had a fight to be at. Gon and Killua's event matches were later this afternoon. She looked down at herself in the mirror and frowned. Her body was splotched in yellow-purple bruises and by the look of her swollen arm, she'd probably broken it again.

She sighed, pulling Machi up on the phone.

"Finally done?" Machi asked, and Jun laughed.

"Done," she said, hopping into the shower. She'd stayed downstairs all night, even after losing to Gon and Killua, fighting in the arena normally. She'd gotten her three consecutive wins and made her way downstairs again just to see what it was like. But the second floor was a tag-team floor, and she didn't bother pairing up with anyone down there; they were all weak anyway. She'd watched matches for hours until finally making her way back up to the 235th floor.

"I'll be right over," Machi said, and killed the line as Jun flipped on the water. She was still covered in sweat and dried blood, and decided it'd be best to wash all of that off before Machi came over to heal her.

Because of Berserker Queen, nothing really hurt, but Jun knew that if a normal person had taken the beating she had, they'd probably be in the hospital or worse. Other people's brains allowed them to feel pain. She'd deflected a lot of hits and taken some as well, but even though she didn't feel pain didn't mean that it didn't batter up her body.

The shower was hot and quick and she changed into a fresh sports bra and shorts so Machi would be able to access her injuries easily. She played some game on her phone while she waited for Machi to come upstairs.

"So, you gonna tell me who beat you?" Machi asked as she came in, already threading her need with _nen_. Jun sat up, ready to be treated.

"A Zoldyck," Jun answered with a bright smile as Machi wrapped her thread around Jun's arm.

Machi made a face. "A Zoldyck? Illumi came to fight you?" she asked. She hadn't personally met Illumi before, but from Jun's stories about the last time she and Illumi fought, she thought they were avoiding fighting again. She's almost been unable to recover from that fight.

"No, his younger brother," Jun said as the bruises on her arm disappeared. "The one I was gonna follow that one time. He's really good, you know."

"How much percent?" Machi asked.

"Forty."

Machi paused for a moment. "Forty percent? On a kid?"

"Well, to activate Berserker Queen, I have to use at least forty," Jun answered. She smiled. "But that's just to activate it. Doesn't mean I have to use all forty percent."

"What did Hisoka think of your little Tartarus trip?"

Jun shrugged. "Dunno. I actually haven't seen him in a few days. Since I went down there, actually. I like it better that way. It motivates me, you know?"

"Or you could, you know, train because _you _want to get better, not because some psycho clown told you to," Machi replied, finishing Jun's other arm. She leaned down to start on Jun's legs. Jun's ability, Berserker Queen, was one of the most dangerous Machi had ever seen, both to fight against and as Berserker Queen's user. Especially because it made Jun's recovery rate next to zero. If Machi wasn't around, she figured Jun would just be a sack of blood and bones. She wondered how she'd gotten by before they'd met.

"He makes me want to get better," Jun said with a smile. Machi sighed and finished up Jun's legs. She stood back up, and poked Jun's forehead. There were signs of dark circles under her eyes.

"You look tired. Have you slept at all?" she asked, making a face. "It's been four days, Jun."

Jun waved her off. "No time for sleep, Machi. I have to think of stuff and I also have a few matches to see today."

Machi scoffed, actually a little amused. "You sound busy."

"Isn't it great?" Jun beamed, clapping her hands together. "Things have been so lively lately! I'm so happy with you and Hisoka are in town. It makes everything so much better."

Machi sighed at Jun's innocence. It really was nice to have a friend sometimes. She was sure that a lot of people don't think the same thing about her that Jun does. Machi stood up. "Well, I've gotta go, so I'll see you later," she said.

"Wait, where are you going?" Jun asked, standing up and pulling on a loose crop top. "I haven't paid you. And I also wanted to ask if you'd see the match with me."

"It's on the house," Machi said, waving off Jun. "And sorry, I can't make it. Troupe stuff."

"Oh, okay," Jun said, giving up immediately. Machi knew that whenever the Troupe came up, Jun seemed to lose interest, though Machi never understood why. She didn't mention that some of the troupe were in town, because she knew _that_ would definitely pique her interest. Fighting strong people. That was one of Jun's bad habits. And if she got in trouble, Machi wouldn't be able to save her.

"I'll see you at my fight?" Jun asked hopefully as Machi headed towards the door.

"Of course I'll be there," Machi told her. "Have fun training."

* * *

Jun headed over to Gon and Killua's matches later in the day. She'd spent the morning and some of the afternoon brainstorming, but couldn't come up with anything that would particularly impress Hisoka. She sat in one of the seats closer to the front, forgetting about Hisoka for a moment to cheer for her boys. Of course, their matches were shoo ins. She knew that if they could stand up to her, then these small fry in the 200's would be a piece of cake.

Killua's match was the main event of the day and despite the beating he'd taken from Jun yesterday, was at 100% to fight some guy in a wheelchair. Not that he needed it to beat his opponent, but Jun was impressed; with both his strength and his ability to recover so quickly.

She hurried downstairs after his fight to meet with him just as he wished Gon good luck with his fight as well.

Killua stopped in his tracks upon seeing Jun; he hadn't even sensed her at all. He realized that she probably traveled everywhere with _zetsu_. Without it, everyone would be aware of her presence. Despite having the attitude of a child, Killua knew that unwanted attention isn't something Jun pined for.

"Good job," she congratulated, smiling. "You can take some pretty rough lightning, huh?"

"Tortured," Killua answered simply, as though he was talking about the weather.

"Me, too," Jun said, clapping her hands together. That was new. Killua had a feeling that there was something darker about Jun, but he didn't suspect it to have been torture. He thought back briefly to the fight yesterday. Most of it was blurry; by the end, he hadn't been able to tell what was what, but he was certain that at a point in time, the woman before him wasn't Sekihara Jun. He wondered if that brash personality was the result of this torture she talked about.

"Anyway," Jun said, snapping Killua out of his thoughts. She held out a thin envelope, the contents of which Killua figured was a check for the other 250 million that she promised. "Wonderful job, Baby-chan. I really am sorry about yesterday. I hope there are no hard feelings between us."

"None," Killua told her honestly, waving her off. She was trying to be formal and he could hear the sincerity in her voice. She didn't seem to have meant anything that happened; she certainly hadn't intended to hurt him the way she did. Not that it mattered; he'd made it back in one piece and managed to pull himself together for the fight today.

Jun smiled gently. "I'm glad," she said, but shook the envelope again, insisting for Killua to take it. "But a deal's a deal. I owe you 250 million," she beamed. Killua wasn't about to say no to that much money, so of course, he took it without another word. Besides, he was fairly certain if he didn't, Jun would go a little crazy and he definitely didn't want that to happen.

Jun waved a little. "I'm gonna go think for a bit, okay? Again, wonderful fight. I'm looking forward to seeing you grow up, Baby-chan."

She turned on her heels to flee but Killua's voice stopped her. "We can still hang out, you know," he said, and Jun turned for a second, not sure if she had heard him right. Killua stuffed his hands in his pocket. "I'm not mad," he told her, averting his eyes. "So, stop acting like we're suddenly not friends or something. For as long as we're here, I'd be, uh, happy to hang out with you still, if we have free time."

Jun laughed that cute tinkling sound that Killua liked so much. She flashed him a bright smile. "Sounds great, Baby-chan."

* * *

Jun headed back out into the sunlight to think. She figured if she were out and about, moving around, then she'd be able to think of something for her fight that would particularly please Hisoka.

She thought about Machi's words. Training for herself because _she _wanted to improve, not just because Hisoka would be happy about it. Jun had brushed it off, but now, she found herself thinking about it. She'd been in this town for over five years now. How much had she grown since then? Jun knew that it hadn't been that much. She knew that for the most part, she had stayed the same. Complacency. Is that all she could take away after leaving this place? Would she even ever leave? Being from Meteor City could sure be a hassle sometimes—

Lost in her thoughts, Jun didn't notice the person in front of her and instead crashed into him, knocking coffee all over him. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry," she said immediately, waving her hands and trying to flick off the coffee from the man's coat. It had been like slamming into a brick wall, but of course, since Jun couldn't feel pain, she thought nothing of it.

"Don't worry about it," he said with a gentle smile, waving her off. He had shaggy hair kept out of his face with a headband over his forehead and was dressed in a grunge fashion style, with a loose grey striped shirt, dark washed jeans and combat boots under an oversized black trench coat.

"Oh, no, please let me buy you a new one," she said. She normally didn't do this for people but she was tired and didn't feel like being indebted to anyone. Besides, maybe interacting with another human would give her inspiration for her fight. Anything to get her to not think about the last five years she'd wasted away in this town. "The coffee and the shirt."

The man chuckled. "Well, if you insist," he said, making eye contact for a second. Something seemed to click. "Oh, you're, um," he pointed to an electronic billboard across the way with Jun's face plastered on it. Opposite her was a dark skinned man with the name ODIN splayed below, and the date for Jun's match.

"Oh, I guess I am," Jun said, not having noticed it before. She squinted, looking at the billboard, making a face. The photo they used of her was one from a few years ago; her hair in a bob cut that grazed her jaw line. "That's a really old picture of me. And I guess my opponent's name is Odin."

"You must be really strong," he complimented, walking alongside her as they headed to a coffee shop. "You fight in the Heaven's Arena. And you're a floormaster."

"Yeah, but a bunch of them are weenies," Jun said, waving him off. "You should come watch and see the weenies. My fight's not today though."

He chuckled. "I'm actually only in town for today."

"Too bad," Jun said, laughing as she ordered. "A black coffee?"

"Yes," he said. "How did you know?"

Jun shrugged. "A feeling," she said, and tapped her nose. "Just kidding. I could smell it." The barista passed Jun a cup of coffee and she handed it off to the man. "Here you go. Now, where did you get that shirt?"

He lifted his hands, waving her off as they headed out of the coffee shop. "There's really no need for another shirt. The coffee was more than enough."

Jun frowned. "I still feel pretty bad," she told him. "Is there another way I could repay you?"

"Well, I guess I wouldn't mind sparring with you," he said, smiling gently. "It's not every day you meet a floormaster out on the streets. I heard there was an underground arena around here."

Jun laughed, shaking her head. "Sorry, anything but that. I actually just spent four days fighting in the underground arena, preparing for my match in—" Jun glanced at the billboard and then checked her phone for the date. "—three days."

"That's too bad," he chuckled as they headed off together down the street. "I'm sure it would have been fun."

Jun smiled. "It would have been fun," she agreed. "But I kinda like my ability. It'd be a shame if it'd gotten stolen." She grinned up at him. "Nice to see you again, Bossu."

A thin smile curled on the man's lips, but he kept his eyes forward. He wondered how long he had to play along with this charade. He probably should have suspected she was playing dumb, being as she had been so polite. No matter; a little game of pretend had been fun. "_Bossu_? I think I actually preferred what you called me when we were kids. What was it again?"

"Chro-chan," she answered with a smile.

He chuckled, waving her off. "Right. Chro-chan. And here I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me, Huang Jun'suh."

"It's Sekihara Jun now," she told him.

"Took your brother's last name, I see," Chrollo commented, taking a sip from his coffee.

"What are you doing in town?" she asked, ignoring his mention of her brother. "I thought spiders prefer the dark."

"A few of us are in town this week, actually," he said with a shrug. "I'd expect some of them to be interested in your match. They might go and see it, considering how infamous you are."

"Uwah, I have Chro-chan's special guests coming to my match?" she asked with a hint of sweet sarcasm. "I should put on a good show. They can tell you about how some super cool lady named Sekihara Jun tore up the ring with her super cool powers! What were their names?"

"You know I won't tell you that," he said simply, and Jun giggled.

"Dang, and here I was thinking you'd forgotten how Berserker Queen works."

"You know, Jun, the offer still stands," he told her, finally looking down at her.

Jun laughed, waving him off. "It's been ten years, but I still don't think you'd want someone like me in your little crime ring," she said, wiggling her finger in a circle for emphasis. "All you strong people in one place would be too much for me. I might just try to kill you all."

"Are you sure you don't want to head to the underground arena?" Chrollo asked with a smile and a dark glint in his eye. "It's also been about ten years since we've fought."

"Yeah right, Chro-chan. I'm not gonna use my ability around you, you thief," she said, sticking out her tongue. "I worked hard on Berserker Queen and I'm not about to let it disappear into the pages of your little book."

"I wouldn't be able to make use of your enhancer technique anyway," he said with a shrug. "It'd just be a waste of space."

"I think I will take you up on that offer to go downstairs and beat your ass," she teased, thought Chrollo could hear the dry honesty in that statement. Insulting Jun was one thing; insulting that ability she'd developed was another. She was oddly protective of it at times. Chrollo actually thought for a second that he would agree to her challenge, but as quickly as the words came out of her mouth, her train of thought changed. "Forget it. I don't wanna risk it. I really _hate_ that book."

Chrollo chuckled, shaking his head. "You haven't changed since you were twelve, Jun."

"You're pretty much the same, too," she said.

"I actually kind of like that about you."

"I'm pretty on the fence about you," Jun teased. "Anyway, I'm sure you have other things to do besides stalk me, Chro-chan."

"It seems I've developed your bad habit," he commented, and Jun stuck out her tongue in response. "I just thought I'd check up on you."

"And you knew for sure that you'd run into me here?" she asked skeptically.

"I had a feeling," he said with a shrug. "Where else would you go? There's a tower of fighters in this town; I'd figured you'd be around causing trouble somewhere around here. You haven't changed, remember? I still know you."

"It's been ten years, Chro-chan. There's no need to worry about me," she teased. She knew that the last thing Chrollo Lucifer did was _worry_, but it was still fun to pretend.

"Have you found anything on your brother?"

"Nope," she said, shaking her head.

"Maybe he's dead."

"I'd rather not talk about Onii-san, _Chrollo,"_ Jun hissed, and when Chrollo looked down at Jun, her eyes had darkened.

Chrollo wasn't afraid. While he figured Jun hadn't grown up at all, he figured that she was smart enough not to start a brawl on the street. Not after knowing that there were other spiders in town. He had played his card right; he was fortunate that even while Jun's name had changed, her personality was still that of a child's. "If you joined with me, I'm sure that you'd be able to find information on Jin'ai quite easily."

"What good is information when I can't use it?" she asked rhetorically, making a face at Chrollo. "Even if I do get information on Onii-chan after joining you, I doubt you'd let me leave you. You're all about loyalty, Chro-chan; don't think that I've forgotten that part about you just because time passed. I'm telling you right now that I'll never be loyal to you the way you want me to be. I've told you that before. If I get information on Onii-chan because I'm a spider, you're damn straight I'm going to go to him, even if it means I have to rip off the legs of the spider with my bare hands."

Though there was nothing menacing about her tone – Jun was simply stating her thoughts – Chrollo had no doubt that was the type of woman she was. A one track mind. She'd put her life in danger to reach her goal. While that passion was something he desired, he agreed with her; she could not be a spider.

"Well put," he told her as they reached an intersection, stopping as cars rushed by. "You belong to no one."

Jun laughed, wondering if that was even true. "Right."

He turned to look down at her. "It was nice seeing you again, Jun."

"Same, Chro-chan," she said. Jun had never been that great at hiding emotion, so Chrollo did hear the true sincerity behind her words. She grinned broadly. "But the next time we meet, I promise I'll be the one to kill you."

He chuckled. "I was just about to say the same thing."

"My death's already reserved for the hands of someone else, so no way you'll kill me," Jun giggled, heading past him as the light turned. "Good luck with everything, Chro-chan."

He watched her leave, taking a sip from his coffee before heading in the opposite direction, a thin smile on his lips. "You, too, Jun."

* * *

The day of the fight, the arena was jam packed with spectators. Sekihara Jun hadn't had a fight in almost a year, and it was almost like she making another debut. She had gotten quite infamous in the arena because of her gruesome record of 10 K.O's, all of which were deaths, as well as her little show in the underground arena. Every person in the audience was hoping for a bloody fight.

Especially a certain red headed magician.

"Ugh, why do you have to sit by me?" Machi asked as she took her seat in the lower half of the first set of bleachers. She had never seen Jun fight and was looking forward to it. Though, she wasn't looking forward to sitting next to Hisoka the whole time. "Shalnark, switch with me."

The blond was already taking a seat and Machi groaned, knowing she'd be stuck next to Hisoka. "Where's Shizuku?" Machi asked, pointing to the empty seat next to him.

"She stayed back in the underground arena looking around for a bit," Shalnark said with a shrug. "She can handle herself." He clapped his hands together. "Oh man, I'm so glad we decided to come to town. We're just in time for this fight! I heard she's a real monster. You're here a lot, Hisoka – do you know her?"

Hisoka smiled. "No, I don't."

"You have like, what, nine wins now? Just find some weakling to take the tenth from and challenge her," Shalnark said, pointing to the big screen across the arena that splayed Jun's picture. "I'd pay to see that." The photo was from five years ago, when she first became a floor master. Hisoka actually thought she looked more mature then, what with her short hair.

He hadn't seen Jun in a few days, and he had been purposely keeping his distance from her, as he assumed she was keeping her distance from him. It was better that way; he wanted to be surprised and she wanted to surprise him. It was the best way to motivate her. He was actually looking forward to watching her fight.

Machi had no idea why Hisoka lied to Shalnark, but she wasn't going to say anything about it. It didn't matter anyway. Besides, Shalnark was probably smart enough to know that Hisoka was lying. She looked at her phone, checking the time. It was almost time for the match, and she hadn't seen Jun.

Gon and Killua took their seats on the other side of the arena. Wing and Zushi were there also, sitting behind them. Killua was actually surprised that Wing came to see the fight, as he seemed apprehensive due to Jun's violent nature. Plus, it seemed like Wing and Jun knew each other somehow; Killua just assumed that strong people simply knew each other. No matter how large the world was, there were always going to be a tier of elite fighters.

"Are you excited, Killua?" Gon asked, grinning.

"Yeah," Killua answered honestly. He'd found out that the tickets for Jun's fight – the crappier ones higher in the arena – went for an insane 500,000 jenny. Hisoka's fight with Kastro, another highly anticipated fight, had only gone for 150,000. Seated more towards the front, Killua had to guess that the tickets she gave him and Gon were closer to a million each. But it was a Jun. People looked forward to her fights as she was a floormaster.

"Nooooow, ladies and gentlemen, we're just about to get started!" called the announcer, who was met with a thunderous cheer from the anxious crowd. There were no seats in the arena left unfilled. "Once again, my name is Kymaera, your one stop ringer girl for all your Heavens Arena needs! Welcome to the long awaited match between challenger Odin, and floor master, Sekihara Jun!"

The arena responded appropriately, screaming and cheering like wild animals, making the dome shake. Hisoka glanced around him, actually chuckling. People normally started excited about Jun's fights, and then ended up in the bathroom, their lunch on the floor. But no matter how violent she was, Hisoka knew there was something about her that made her so entertaining to watch. It was what kept him around all these years, after all.

"Now, introducing the challenger, Odin!" Kymaera cried as fireworks exploded from one of the tunnels, Odinstepping out. Clad in a series of light armor pads over his shoulders, chest and legs, he stood at least six and a half feet tall, his dark skin flecked with light silver scars. His blonde hair was kept neatly tied over his shoulder as he made his way to the ring, sword in hand.

"Sorry I'm late," said a voice, and Machi turned to see Shizuku squeezing in, taking her seat next to Shalnark. "Did I miss anything?"

"Nope," Shalnark answered. "It's just about to start. Where were you anyway?"

"Some black market guy downstairs was selling some stuff," she said with a shrug, waving him off. No one thought anything of it; Shizuku did tend to get curious about street vendors. She pointed at the tall man in the arena. "Is that the challenger?"

Shalnark nodded, flipping open his program. "He's got over a foot of height on Sekihara Jun and fights with a sword, which increases his range," he commented, checking out the stats. "Sekihara has a sword, too, but it's only about a foot long, so the reach difference is still pretty prominent. He's got the upper hand as far as reach goes, and he seems like a range fighter. Sekihara is better at close combat, right, Hisoka?"

"Who knows," he answered vaguely, keeping his eyes on the match. He pulled his phone from his pocket, checking the time.

"And, the moment you've all been waiting for – the tower is her kingdom, the ring is her castle: the vicious, the violent, the empress of the Heavens Arena! The Red Queen, Sekihara Juuuuuun!" Kymaera called, and all eyes turned towards the second tunnel as crimson fireworks burst up to announce Jun's entrance.

However, when the smoke cleared, there was no one there. The referee – Tanaka Shun – headed down to the tunnel to peer him and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. It was completely empty.

* * *

Jun burst up at the sound of her phone. She clambered up, not even having remembered lying down and snatched her phone off the nightstand. "What," she said groggily into the mouthpiece.

"I figured as such," said her favorite voice with a chuckle. "Where are you right now, Jun-chan?"

"What?" she asked, glancing around. The sun was out and she burned her eyes and pulled the blanket over her head to shield herself from the sun. "I'm in my room."

"Be sure to enjoy it," he told her teasingly. "You won't have one anymore if you're not at the arena in sixty seconds."

"What?" Jun said again, but Hisoka had already hung up. She checked her phone and yelped, bouncing right out of bed. She'd slept for three days straight! She threw on some fresh clothes, not even bothering to shower as she swung her hair up, slinging a haori over her back and leaping into the elevator.

She cursed herself. She'd spent all this time sleeping; she hadn't had the chance to think about what kind of new surprise she'd have for Hisoka. She groaned, massaging under her eyes. She was just going to have to wing it.


	12. Chapter 12: A Berserk Queen

"Sekihara Jun will be disqualified in ten seconds," Kymaera announced. "Which means we will have a new floor master, Odin!"

The arena grumbled with discontent; they'd paid a hefty sum to be able to see some bloodshed. Tanaka sighed, shaking his head. Jun had so many fans, but she was so unreliable sometimes. Kymaera started the count.

"Ten! Nine! Eight!" she cried, as Tanaka glanced back at Jun's tunnel. Still no sign of her. Was she really not coming this time?

Shalnark sighed, running a hand through his hair as the announcer continued her count. "Man, I was really looking forward to this fight!"

"We paid quite a lot for it," Shizuku commented, her lips curving into a slight frown. "I could have bought some sweets with that money."

Hisoka and Machi hadn't paid a single cent, as Jun had left them both tickets, but neither of them bothered to say, as it didn't matter anyway. Machi stood up and sighed. "Well, looks like it's over," she said as Kymaera got to five. "Move," she told Hisoka, who was still seated, his legs crossed, face resting in his palm as though he were watching a particularly interesting show on TV.

"Believe in her," Hisoka said simply, a thin smile tugging the corner of his lips. He tilted his head towards her seat, encouraging her to take it. There were a million words Hisoka could have used and Machi was stunned that he had chosen that combination. It took her a while to process, and she looked to the arena as Kymaera continued the countdown.

"Three! Two!" Kymaera called, and everyone heard her take a breath to say the last number, but at the very moment, Jun burst through the tunnel. She dropped her sword for a second, went back and scooped it up before racing to the arena, hopping up onto the stone tile.

The arena was quiet for a moment, the audience in disbelief. Then, all at once and all together, they erupted into a series of cheers as Jun let out a breath of relief.

"Oh, thank God," she laughed, putting her hand on her hip as she looked towards Tanaka. "I still get to keep my house."

Tanaka rolled his eye as Jun gave him a tiny low five. "Keep it PG," he reminded her.

"We'll see," Jun laughed as she stepped towards the center of the ring, Odindoing the same. He crossed his arms, looking down at her. She waved. "Yo."

"You are likely the rudest woman I have ever met," the man said flatly. "You are disrespectful to both your opponent and your audience. I believe that you owe everyone an apology."

"I don't want to," Jun said simply, pulling out her hair clip and flipping her hair over to catch the loose strands. She turned to Tanaka. "Tan-san, let's get started."

Odinknew that Jun tended to favor this referee, as he let her do whatever she pleased. However, despite this, he also knew that this referee was fair; just because he tended to let Jun do what she want in the ring, didn't mean that he didn't award points against her. Odin himself was fine with this referee.

However, he knew that he had gotten fed up with Sekihara Jun. In one swift motion, he pulled his arm back and launched it straight at Tanaka Shun. He felt a collision against his fist, but when he looked down, Jun was standing in front of Tanaka , both her hands on Odin's fist as she blocked the punch.

That punch should have had enough raw strength to shatter all the bones in her arms, but Jun pushed him back, glowering darkly. "How dare you attack Tan-san," she hissed. "I believe it is you that owes him an apology. He's the referee. If you have any gripes with me then be a man and take it up with me, you bastard."

Odinlooked down at the small woman. "You first."

"Just because you're a butt and I don't like you, I'll make your death quick," Jun told him, taking a stance. "Thirty percent."

Not a moment after the words came out of her mouth, she leapt into the air and launched a kick at Odin's head. Machi knew it was over. Jun's kicks to the face had ended many lives before; no one could stand that skull-shattering blast.

However, this time was different. Odin raised his arm and caught her leg, spinning around and swinging her out of the ring. She flew across the arena and crashed into the wall so deeply that none of her body was even visible. Odin glanced at Tanaka, who stared at him, unafraid.

"Critical, knockdown, three points," Tanaka said.

Gon and Killua couldn't believe what they'd seen. Jun had never gone over thirty percent while fighting in the underground arena, yet this man brushed off that amount of power without even breaking a sweat. How many lives had Sekihara Jun's thirty percent ended?

Jun climbed out of the hole in the wall covered in dust, her hair falling out of her clip. She'd gained a lot of surface injuries, scratches on her face and limbs, her clothes a little tattered from the force at which she'd been whipped into the wall. She trudged back to the arena, climbing into the ring. Instead of attacking him directly, she reached in her hair and pulled out her hairclip. She inspected the white piece of jewelry and let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God it's not broken," she said brightly, swinging her hair up again. She turned to Tanaka. "How many points did I lose?"

"Three," he told her, and she shrugged. No matter what, Jun always respected Tanaka's refereeing. It was why the arena continued to let him oversee her matches.

"How many should I let him have?" Jun asked, pointing to Odin as though he weren't standing three feet away from them.

"Should you really be asking me?" Tanaka asked, unaffected.

"How about I give eight?" she pondered, tapping her nose. "Maybe it will make for good entertainment. Nail biter and all, you know? There are people watching."

"You lose if you get ten on you," Tanaka reminded her, the concern on his face giving way to the fact that he really did feel like that he needed to remind her. He knew Jun probably had nowhere else to go; losing her house wouldn't be something on her to-do list.

Jun opened her mouth to speak, but Odin was already rushing her, whipping out his sword. She shoved Tanaka backwards and out of the line of the attack and leapt back, a light gash opening up on her stomach. Odin thrust the sword forward, and Jun dodged it by a hair, leaping back again as he brought the sword down to slash across her shoulders.

Jun continued dodging each blow by an inch, Tanaka keeping a moderate distance away in case the fight came back towards him, watching carefully. Odin didn't even seem to be exerting much effort into his attacks, but Jun, on the other hand, seemed to be working quite hard to dodge; she wasn't dodging by a thin margin to mock him. It was simply because she couldn't keep up.

Jun landed after a dodge and made a move to dodge again, but Odin slashed a feint, bringing his sword back up to decapitate her. Jun quickly tore out her sword and held it up to block. The force, too strong for her, sent her reeling backwards. Odin closed the distance between them, slamming his fist into her gut so hard that Tanaka saw her lose consciousness for a moment before snapping back to reality. Tanaka knew Jun was never great with feints, and fell for them all the time.

"Clean hit, one point Odin," he called as Jun thrust her sword forward, attempting to stab through his heart. He deflected her sword with ease, and slammed his palm into her forearm, shattering the bone before crushing his foot into her side. Jun hurtled across the ring, denting it with the impact as she landed in a crumbled heap.

"Critical, knock down, three points Odin," Tanaka said, awarding the points. He glanced up at the scoreboard, swallowing a lump in his throat. As a referee, he was supposed to remain neutral, but the only thing he wanted to do now was slap Jun across the face and roar for her to get serious. Enough games!

"Oh! And Sekihara Jun goes down for the second time today!" Kymaera cried as the crowd erupted in roars. "Odin is already up seven to zero, but Jun has yet to pull her trump card!"

Hisoka watched the match with a blank expression. Watching Jun get tossed around like a rag doll used to be so beautiful and poetic, but for some reason, now it was unnerving. It made him sick. He resisted the urge to swoop down to the arena to tear out Odin's throat himself.

He turned to the rest of the troupe that had decided to come to the match, vaguely wondering what was going through their minds. Shalnark was watching intently, Shizuku looked bored and Machi had closed her eyes, most likely to not see Jun get broken. Normally, it was Jun that did the breaking, but when she didn't take fights seriously, this sort of thing began to happen, and it was never pretty to watch.

Jun pulled herself up from the ground, wiping her lip. Her hair was a mess, her clothes torn and bloody. She pressed her ribs gently and examined her arm, arching her back and twisting around to check what was broken.

"Seven," she said, vaguely hearing Kymaera talk. She turned to Odin, smiling brightly. "Alright, you get one more, okay? So try to make it a clean hit. If you get three again, you win and I'm out of a home, so I'm gonna kill you anyway. If you get one more point and then surrender, or forfeit now, then everyone wins."

If Odin were annoyed, he did not let the emotion show on his face. He remained neutral. "I don't appreciate your arrogance, Sekihara Jun."

"Just Jun is fine," she piped, pulling her hair clip out to fix her hair. She smiled after she was finished and took a fighting stance, hands up as though she were going to box him. In a second, she rushed him, but he easily dodged, taking a fistful of her hair as she whizzed by, whipping her out of the ring for a second time.

However, this time, she landed on her feet, and Tanaka didn't call a knockdown.

Shizuku sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I thought this was supposed to be interesting, Shalnark," she commented. "It's pretty obvious this 'Red Queen' is all washed up. That's what you get for not fighting in a year."

"She's supposed to be one of the best fighters!" Shalnark insisted, pointing at the program. "Her stats as far as the arena goes are off the charts!"

"What are stats when she can't live up to them?" Shizuku asked innocently. She stood up to leave, but Hisoka kicked out one of his legs, blocking her.

"You should be a little more respectful," he advised, looking up at Shizuku with a dangerous glint in his eyes and a mischievous grin.

Jun's ebony hair fell loose and her hands flew up to her head, touching for her clip. Her eyes shot back to Odin, who was holding her precious gift between his fingers.

"Give it back," Jun said quietly as she stepped back into the ring.

"You've been fidgeting with this the whole match," Odin commented. "Is it important to you?"

"Give it back," Jun repeated, and dashed forward wildly. Odin saw it coming from a mile away and grabbed her hair again, cleanly slicing its length before leaping backwards. He held up the clip.

"Is it important to you?" he asked again. "You don't need it anymore."

"_Give it back_!" Jun roared so loudly that even with all the other people in the arena, her voice still echoed off the walls.

And in a tiny, effortless motion, Odin snapped his fingers together, shattering the white hair clip. It crumbled to dust and he wiped his hand on his pant leg.

A thin smile curled Hisoka's lips. "And so it has begun," he said, more to himself than to anyone else. Shizuku opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment, everyone in the arena felt it, a wave of aura so thick and suffocating, it felt like standing at the edge of a volcano, singing the skin off their bones. Shizuku sat back down in her seat without another word.

"You bastard," Jun growled, her gaze completely darkened. "Odin," she hissed. "_Berserker Queen_."

Odin grinned, holding his sword out in front of him. "If that's all I needed to do to get you to fight seriously, I should have done so earlier—"

"Sixty percent."

Odin opened his mouth to finish his sentence, but Jun had already crushed her foot down into the side of his face, sending him flying towards the earth. He slammed into the tile, causing the stone to burst up in rubble, but as Tanaka awarded Jun a point, he tried to attack her, shooting his sword out.

Jun deflected it with ease, like she was swatting a fly, and sent a right hook towards is face, shattering his nose. He flew out of the ring.

"Critical, knockdown, three points, Jun," Tanaka said.

"Oh, ladies and gentlemen, this is what we've been waiting for! The match between Odin and the Red Queen Sekihara Jun has only just started!" Kymaera called into the microphone. But to Jun, it was all white noise.

She stalked towards Odin's body as he stood up, wiping the blood from his face. When Odin looked up to match her gaze, he could have sworn that the woman standing before him wasn't the same as literally two seconds ago. She walked with elegance and grace, radiating a strength he'd only heard about in stories. He clenched his fist over his sword. This was the Red Queen.

He charged her, roaring, and Jun dodged easily, spinning around and drop kicking him to the earth so hard he bounced back up. She slammed her elbow down into his spine and he bellowed in pain as she crushed her foot into his back. Tanaka called out a knockdown.

"Oy, oy, oy, is that all ya got? Ya think ya can talk a buncha shit to me, break my fucking precious gift, and all ya can do is lie there and scream? Bow down to the queen, you fuckin' hound," she asked in a rough accent that did not match the elegance Odin admired. She crushed her foot deeper into his back, the heel of her boot piercing through his skin and he cried out.

Odin put all his strength into lifting himself up and whirled on Jun, but was thwacked in the face with Jun's bare hand. She'd only slapped him, but it'd felt like he'd been hit by ten steam ships, and flew back into the ring, hitting the tile.

Jun flicked the hair out of her face, making her way into the ring. Before she could do anything, from his place on the ground, Odin threw his sword at her like a lance.

"Jun!" Tanaka called on instinct, but Jun didn't even bother dodging. The sword hurtled through the air and pierced straight through her shoulder, the edge protruding on the other side of her body as blood dripped down her torn clothes.

She glanced at the weapon as though a bird had landed on her shoulder and actually burst out laughing, her dry cackle filling the arena. She hunched over to catch her breath and wipe the tears from her face. "Oh, my God, ya really think this shit would hurt _me_?" she asked, tearing out the sword as though she didn't care if it damaged any muscle or bone. She licked the blood off it and then snapped the blade with her teeth, tossing it aside like trash. "This is fuckin' child's play, ya dumb shit!"

Shalnark chuckled, and Shizuku looked to him, confused. "Her accent is different," she commented. "And her fighting style is different as well. She was hiding her true strength?"

"I guess," Shalnark said, and Hisoka turned, wondering what Shalnark would say next. As the strategist of the troupe, Hisoka wanted to hear Shalnark's analysis on Jun; he wanted to see if Sharlnark, just from watching Jun fight this one time, could figure out Jun's power. If anyone could do it, it was him. "It's not really hiding her true strength, as it is hiding another part of herself," he started.

"Isn't that what I said?" Shizuku asked, confused.

Shalnark shook his head. "Sekihara Jun wasn't hiding her true _strength_; she was hiding her personality."

Hisoka smiled, turning his eyes back to the arena. He figured that out quickly.

"She has multiple personalities?" Shizuku asked.

The blonde nodded. "From what I've observed, it seems like she can only keep in control of one personality up to a certain percentage of her strength," he said, pulling out a pen and drawing on the program. He drew a bar and a line, pointing to it as he wrote. "So, let's say that percentage is thirty percent. She's that bubbly, arrogant fighter that Odin scored seven points on; we'll call her Jun One But anything after thirty percent—" he said, pointing to the rest of the bar, "—increases the likelihood of the Jun One maintaining control of that personality, so she would go into the second personality, Jun Two. I'm guessing that at sixty percent – which she's at now – means that there's a sixty percent chance that Jun Two will take control. It also seems to depend on her emotional state."

Machi couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew that Shalnark was smart, but Jun having multiple personalities? Machi had known Jun for years! How could this have never come up? "How would you even develop a multiple personality?" she asked.

Shalnark hummed for a moment, thinking. "Well, there are a lot of ways someone can develop another personality. Considering how she made use of it, I'm guessing hers has to deal with something that happened when she was younger. Maybe some kind of abuse? Torture? She probably developed Jun Two to cope with the pain of being tortured or something like that."

Machi didn't want to believe it, but everything Shalnark was saying made perfect sense. That was why Jun didn't ever seem to feel pain; because someone else felt it for her.

"So, there are two of her," Shizuku summarized. "Which one is the real one?"

Shalnark grinned. "I think that's the beauty of that ability of hers. They're both her real personality; but like two sides of a coin, there is still only one coin. They're both her."

Bingo. Hisoka was actually impressed. It'd taken him a few months to figure that out, while Shalnark had done it in half an hour. He glanced over at Machi, who looked uneasy, and smiled. It seemed like even Machi hadn't known any of that about Jun. But then again, it wasn't like it was something Jun necessarily showed off.

"So, she'll retain all those memories, no matter what personality is out?" Machi asked.

Shalnark shrugged. "I'm guessing yes. It's a pretty complicated ability, though, factoring in percentages and her second personality; she must have thought long and hard about it. The stat book says that it's been over a year since she's used the ability in the ring, and I can see why. The conditions to even use it must be incredibly insane."

"She seems like an enhancer type, though," Shizuku commented, pointing to the ring. "She's a close combat fighter. Housing a second personality hardly seems like an enhanced ability."

Shalnark hummed in response, pondering. "I personally don't think housing another personality is her ability. I think her real ability has something to do with releasing the pain limiter in the brain," he explained. "For humans, pain is a device that lets the body know what its limits are so that it doesn't retain any permanent damage. That's why humans tend to be limited to certain boundaries of strength or speed; because the body physically wouldn't be able to handle the consequences.

"But Sekihara's ability seems like something that releases the pain limiter. _That's _what developed that personality. Just because Jun One can't feel pain, doesn't mean something like that just disappears. That's where Jun Two comes in; she shoulders all that pain, whether it be emotional, or physical," Shalnark explained.

"You're right," Shizuku said, turning her eyes back to the ring. "The conditions to use that ability must be crazy."

Hisoka thought that Shalnark explained that even better than Jun did. Hisoka actually hoped that Jun never got tangled with the spiders; Shalnark's intelligence and observational skills had just proven that Jun was no match for them. If Shalnark had told that information to any of the stronger members, like Uvo or Feitan, then it would be the end of Jun. If he could understand how her ability worked in a matter of minutes, then he no doubt could think of a strategy against it.

Hisoka smiled. He had certainly gotten involved with the right people.

Jun stalked over to where Odin had pulled himself off the ground. He charged her, reeling back a punch and Jun easily side stepped out of the line of fire and closed the distance between them, knocking his arm aside with a flick of her wrist. With his other hand, Odin launched a second punch towards her face, but she flicked her wrist again, deflecting the attack, and thrust kicked him in the stomach, sending him hurtling backward into the tile.

"Knockdown, one point Jun," Tanaka said, gesturing to her.

Violence. Over the years, Hisoka had noticed that after she had shifted personalities – or upon activating Berserker Queen – she actually tended to be less violent, which he always found a little strange, considering this Jun had a rougher personality; less maiming and more raw, graceful combat.

"And in a turn of events, Sekihara Jun has managed to gain six points back from Odin!" Kymaera announced.

The fight continued this way, with Odin making attempts to strike her with punches, or kicks in any way possible, and Jun deflecting his hits, causing him to shift off balance, ruining his rhythm. She fought with an almost cat-like grace, flicking her wrists to deflect attacks, hopping over his body and landing on her feet without even breaking a sweat. Odin was getting visibly frustrating, crying out as he tried to pick up the pace and do more damage. Jun knocked him back with a right hook to the jaw, gaining another down, and another point.

Jun took a breath, drawing her sword. "That's gonna be about enougha me fuckin' around," she said darkly, stalking over to where Odin was bringing himself to his feet. He didn't waste a moment and rushed Jun again as though hoping that his persistence would take her off guard.

She deflected his kick with a sharp jab from her palm, and swiftly slammed her hand upwards on his chin. Odin stumbled backwards, dazed and felt a sharp pain in his chest. He gazed down to see that Jun had stabbed cleanly though his heart, blood trickling down his chest.

She shoved the blade in deeper, looking up at him through blackened eyes. "That's how it felt," she growled. "When ya broke my fuckin' hairclip, ya dick."

She ripped out the blade roughly, opening his chest as blood sprayed over her small figure. Odin was dead before he hit the ground.

"Winner by T.K.O., Sekihara Jun," Tanaka said, pointing to her.

"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! Defending her title once again, the Red Queen, Sekihara Jun!" Kymaera called, and the audience screamed and roared in approval as Jun looked over Odin's body.

Machi turned to say something to Hisoka, but to her surprise, he was already gone. She hadn't even felt or heard him leave. He had been sitting there the entire time, not saying a thing about the match, or about the secrets that Shalnark revealed on Jun's personality. Did that mean that he already knew? Machi had so many questions.

Jun cleaned her sword on her _haori_, Tanaka noticing that her hands were shaking. She sheathed the blade quietly and stepped out of the ring without another word, heading towards the tunnel. She had never been one for celebration after a fight.

"Wonderful fight, Jun-chan," Hisoka praised in the tunnel, reaching his hand out to pat Jun on the head.

Jun shot her arm out, pushing him away. "Don't fuckin' touch me," she warned, and Hisoka saw that even as her face was covered in blood, her eyes were still a sharp black. Even her shove had been with a shaky hand.

Hisoka didn't say anything about her behavior, instead letting her stalk off by herself. She was trying to revert out of her Berserker Queen personality. He decided to give her a little space. He'd have his way with her soon enough.

Jun stumbled into her room, using all her strength to make it to the bathroom. "Make it stop," she whispered, not even bothering to take off her clothes before pulling herself into the shower. Her showerhead was a waterfall type and ice cold water poured over her as she leaned against the wall. Her breathing was ragged and she shut her eyes, letting the water cascade over her, drenching everything, swirls of crimson washing down the drain.

She'd heard the praise from Hisoka and it felt good; resonating throughout her entire body. He enjoyed her fight. But she knew it hadn't been enough. She'd slapped his hand away even though she had wanted him to touch her. Jun didn't want Hisoka to see her like this.

She'd spent what felt like hours in the shower just standing there in the cold until she'd finally mustered up the strength to take real shower. When she emerged in a fresh set a clothes, the sun had already set.

Hisoka was already sitting at the island bar in Jun's kitchen, sipping from bottle of strawberry soda. He smiled upon seeing her, pulling himself up off the stool.

"Jun-chan," Hisoka greeted with a bright smile. He noticed that she'd fixed the hair that Odin had cut off, making it more or less even. He really did prefer her with short hair.

"Hey," she greeted weakly, turning her eyes down.

"Why the long face?" he asked, pouting playfully as he squeezed her cheeks lightly. He could tell that she was back to normal. "You spent the whole day in the shower; I assumed you'd come out happy. Your fight was lovely, Jun-chan. Do you not think so?"

"It was really crappy," she said, frowning. "I didn't even do anything special. I wanted to impress you."

"It's always a treat for me to see your ability," Hisoka told her.

"But it's nothing new," she insisted, looking up at him. "And the wonderful gift you bought me was broken."

"That's fine," Hisoka said, waving her off. "I can just buy you another one. On our date."

"I don't want you to spe—" Jun started, but she seemed to realize what he said and perked up. "Wait, what? A date?"

"An honest fight," Hisoka explained, shrugging nonchalantly as he stalked back into the kitchen. Jun followed like a puppy. "You fought with honesty and grace; it was truly beautiful, Jun-chan. I told you that I would reward you if you impressed me, and you very much did so."

Jun hopped into the air, clapping her hands together, already forgetting about her fight. "You're taking me on a date? When? Tomorrow?"

Hisoka smiled. "Whenever you like—"

"Tomorrow!" she exclaimed, slamming her hands on the counter excitedly.

That was exactly what he thought she would say. "Of course," he agreed.

"I'm so happy," Jun said as though Hisoka couldn't deduce that himself. "Thank you, Hisoka."

He hadn't even taken her out yet and she was already squealing like she'd won the lottery. Hisoka actually found it rather cute. "Don't thank me yet," he told her with a mischievous grin. He snatched her wrist and licked his lips, ready to toss her to bed, but Jun placed her other hand on his chest, smiling sweetly.

"We should wait until tomorrow," she suggested, but it didn't sound like a suggestion. How could he possibly not have a taste of her what with having seen her fight so beautifully downstairs? "Practice some restraint, you know?"

_Restraint_? Hisoka opened his mouth to argue; he was always fantastic at convincing her otherwise, but Jun seemed to know it was coming.

The smile she flashed him was tainted with the slightest hint of mischief. "And I promise tomorrow will be _so_ much better," she added.

Hisoka chuckled. Her attempt to seduce him _out _of having sex with her was cute. Cute enough for him to 'practice restraint' for tonight, at least. "Fine," he agreed, picking up his strawberry soda. If he wasn't going to sleep with her tonight, there was no sense he stay. "I will come get you tomorrow morning for our date."

"Ten o'clock?" she asked, walking him out.

Hisoka nodded. "Ten. And be sure to call Machi bright and early to fix those injuries of yours." He offered her one last smile. "Good night, Jun-chan."


End file.
